Where is Somalia located? Entertainment and relaxation

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Hotels

Somalia is not the best country to travel. This phrase will be said to you several times during the short period of getting off the plane and going through passport control. It is not safe here, a white man can easily be captured, the civil war has not stopped for more than 20 years. Maybe you have never heard of this country, but you probably know who the Somali pirates are.

In the official capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, there are only a few hotels left with good security, comfortable living conditions, electricity and running water (which by local standards is a real luxury). For example, Jazeera Palace Hotel, Hotel Nasa-Hablod.

Attractions

It is difficult to say what attracts travelers to Somalia. According to statistics, from 1990 to 2004 not a single tourist visited here! If the circumstances of this country had turned out differently, this area would have become popular for vacationers from all over the world! After all, there is everything you need here: comfortable beaches, beautiful nature, the ancient heritage of Egyptian and Phoenician civilization.

An abandoned Italian lighthouse is located in the country's capital, Mogadishu. Built by the Italians during colonial rule three decades ago, it is now rapidly deteriorating. Located near Mogadishu national park Kismayu. This place is the birthplace of the fauna of the southeastern part of the African continent: lions, antelopes, zebras and many others. Hargeisa Park is an amazing place in its landscape. Walking through these places (with a guide, of course), you can easily meet an elephant. And from Mogadishu to the border with Kenya lies the longest coral reef in the whole world.

Museums

The Somali National Museum (or Garesa Palace Museum) in Mogadishu is the main local history and oldest museum countries. Founded in 1934. The basis of his collection is archaeological finds on the modern territory of Somalia, a collection of Islamic art, and objects of decorative and applied art. On the territory of the museum there is a National Theatre, a library and a hall of temporary exhibitions.

Climate of Somalia:: Heavy. Northeast monsoon (December-February), moderate temperatures in the north and hot in the south. Southwest monsoon (May to October), hot in the north and hot in the south. Irregular precipitation. Hot and humid periods between monsoons.

Resorts

Mogadishu is a more or less safe area of ​​the country (with personal security). In the historical part of the city, some buildings of Portuguese colonial architecture are still preserved. Bakaara Market is the oldest place in the city and you can buy essential goods here. Near the city of Berbera you can see the ruins ancient year Gellet Abbot. For obvious reasons, there are no popular resorts for beach holidays in this country.

Leisure

As mentioned above, Somalia is the most unattractive country for tourism in the whole world. A state with a completely destroyed statehood, where a child from the age of three learns to hold a machine gun in his hands. The only goal coming here (if you can call it that) is a way out of your comfort zone. Although, there are many more comfortable and safe countries in the world to do this.

Relief of Somalia: Mostly flat, undulating plateau rising to hills in the north.

Transport

There are no direct flights from Russia to Somalia. You can cross the border through neighboring countries or fly with a transfer through Turkey or the UAE. If you plan to visit not only the capital, but also other cities, you need to obtain permission to travel around the country (preferably with a guide and driver). From public transport, buses travel around the capital (there are very few of them; riding on a roof, as in India, is a common occurrence), but tourists are highly discouraged from appearing alone on the city streets.

Standard of living

Somalia is the poorest country, there is no central government, all social institutions do not function at all. In fact, Somalia fell into many parts as a result of the civil war. The official, recognized government controls only 60% of the capital's territory. Society is divided into clans fighting among themselves. Someone holds local power and organizes the life of isolated parts former state. When leaving the airport building, you can (and should) choose security for yourself. The pleasure is not cheap, about 1000 US dollars. But without this, there is a chance that you will be kidnapped. For safety reasons, it is recommended to drink only bottled water and eat street food.

Somalia has resources like: Uranium and largely untapped reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salts, natural gas, probable oil reserves.

Cities of Somalia

Mogadishu is the official capital. Planes of world airlines fly here (those that are not afraid). Back in the Middle Ages, Mogadishu was the main port city. He traded with India, China, Sri Lanka and even Vietnam. It was once a wealthy city with authentic architecture and the largest Catholic cathedral on the entire African continent. Now most of it has been badly damaged.

Hargeisa is the second largest city in Somalia. Capital of the unrecognized state of Somaliland. Berbeda is a city where, during Soviet times, Soviet specialists built an airport and roads. The area where Russians used to live is still called “Moscow”.

Population

Coordinates

Mogadishu

In 1998, the country's population was estimated at 6,842 thousand people. The area of ​​settlement of the Somali ethnic group does not coincide with state borders. In 1977, just over 75% of the total number of Somalis lived in Somalia; in the Ogaden region in Ethiopia - approx. 20%, in the north-eastern part of Kenya - approx. 4% and in Djibouti - less than 1%. As a result of the 1977-1978 war and numerous border conflicts in the 1980s, almost 1 million Somalis were forced to move from Ethiopia to Somalia. Due to an unresolved dispute with Ethiopia over the ownership of the Ogaden region, the area of ​​Somalia is indicated in the range from 565 thousand to 668 thousand square meters. km. The capital is Mogadishu (approx. 1 million inhabitants).

Nature.

Most of Somalia's territory is occupied by the vast Ogaden plateau with average altitudes of approx. 900 m above sea level It gradually rises to the north, forming the arid Houd Plateau. Along the northern coast of the country, from the city of Hargeisa to Cape Guardafui (Ras Aseir), stretches the raised edge of the plateau, which abruptly breaks off with rocky ledges to the coastal plain. The highest point of the country is Mount Shimbiris (2407 m), located in the Surud Ad massif within the Sanag region. The southern provinces of Somalia are flat, arid plains, where more fertile lands are located along the Jubba River, the only continuous river in this part of the country, and the Webi Shabelle River. In the lower reaches of the Uebi-Shabelle River, it flows for 240 km along the coast of the Indian Ocean and is lost in the sands and swamps east of the Dzhubba River estuary.

The climate of Somalia is subequatorial monsoon, in the north it is tropical desert and semi-desert. The year is divided into dry and wet seasons; dry continues from January to April, with rain in May-June, then the main monsoon, blowing from the southwest, brings relatively heavy rainfall from late June to September, with light rain again from October to December. The average annual rainfall is 50 mm on the coast, 380 mm in Hargeisa and 1270 mm in the mountainous areas of Erigabo and Borama. Average monthly temperatures range from 34–42°C on the northern coast to 24°C in the mountains, where frosts occur in January-February.

The coastal plains are composed predominantly of limestone, the internal plateaus and plateaus are composed of crystalline rocks (with a predominance of granites), in northern mountains they are covered with sandstones and limestones.

The vegetation cover of the plateau is tall, coarse grasses, often reaching a height of 75–130 cm. In some places there are thickets of tree-like shrubs and trees, including mimosa, acacia and aloe, as well as ethereal bushes that produce myrrh, frankincense and balms (Somalia is sometimes called the “country incense"). In the mountains of the north, small groves of cedar, juniper, and fig trees have been preserved.

The fauna of Somalia includes such large wild animals as lion, giraffe, rhinoceros, leopard (translated as the name of the Uebi-Shabelle River - “river of leopards”), zebra, hyena and kulan. Of the small animals found various types antelopes, warthogs, monkeys and baboons. Ubiquitous birds of prey- eagles, kites and falcons. Storks are typical. Upland game is represented by guinea fowl, partridges, black grouse and bustards. The arid plains are infested with snakes, scorpions and centipedes. In coastal waters large quantities there are crocodiles.

Population and society.

Somalis are tall slim people, proud of their origin and language. They are united by a single religion - Islam and a common language - Somali, which belongs to the family of Cushitic languages ​​and has connections with the languages ​​of the Ethiopian Oromo and Afar. Somalis actively support and develop a system of traditional political institutions. They are characterized by a caring attitude towards poetic tradition with complex rules of alliteration, a precisely calculated sense of proportion.

The main social and political differences are observed in the sphere of relations between rival clans - the Isa, inhabiting the northern regions, the Darod, in the northeastern and southwestern regions, and the Hawiyya, on the east coast. In addition, each clan has different members belonging to the “high” or “low” castes. Thus, clan members belonging to a “low” caste, for example midgaan and tumal, have fewer rights than those belonging to a “high” caste. There are also differences between nomads and farmers, exemplified by the Rahanwein tribal group.

The few groups of non-Somali origin live primarily in cities. This includes the Arab community, which, together with the Egyptians, numbers 35 thousand people, and several thousand Indians, Pakistanis and Europeans.

The main cities are Mogadishu, Hargeisa (formerly the administrative center of British Somaliland), Berbera, Marka, Bosaso, Bulobard and Baidoa.

Public education.

Training at all levels is free. Until 1972, its spread was hampered by the lack of a written Somali language. Teachers were forced to use educational texts in Arabic, English or Italian, which were incomprehensible to most students. Following the adoption in 1972 of a modified Latin alphabet New textbooks were prepared for the Somali language, and a campaign against illiteracy began. The number of students in primary schools has increased significantly. Currently, 377 thousand children are studying in primary schools, 44 thousand in secondary schools. The National University of Somalia in Mogadishu and several specialized colleges have approx. 10.4 thousand students. In 1990, 76% of the adult population was illiterate (in 1985 - 83%).

State system.

Currently, it is difficult to talk about Somalia as a single state. The country fell apart into many parts controlled by warring warlords, factions and clans. Only the northern part of the country, the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, maintains comparative stability.

According to the 1961 constitution, Somalia was a republic with a parliamentary system of government. The president was elected as the head of state, and executive power belonged to the prime minister. Legislature- The unicameral People's Assembly was elected by universal suffrage according to the principle of proportional representation. In October 1969, a military coup took place and the President of Somalia was killed. The constitution was suspended. The Somali Republic was renamed the Somali Republic Democratic Republic. In 1969–1976, power in the country belonged to the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC), consisting of army and police officers, headed by Major General Mohamed Siad Barre. In 1976, President Siad Barre transferred the powers of the VRS to the Central Committee of the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP), which took over the highest political and economic power in the country. The constitution adopted in 1979 provided for the creation of a one-party system of government.

Since 1972 in the authorities local government included regional, district and a large number of village councils. Regional and district authorities consisted of government officials and representatives of the local population appointed by them. Village councils are re-elected annually by direct vote.

Close ties with the USSR, maintained in 1969–1977, were interrupted due to Moscow's support for Ethiopia during the Ethiopian-Somali war of 1977–1978. Since then, Somalia has significantly strengthened its relations with Western powers and Arab countries. Somalia is a member of the UN, the Organization of African Unity and the League of Arab States.

Economy.

Somalia is an economically backward and poor country. She has meager mineral resources, the basis of the country's economy is mainly nomadic and semi-nomadic livestock farming. About 80% of the working population is employed in agriculture, mainly in livestock farming; The sale of live cattle, meat products and hides brings the country over 80% of its total export earnings. Share industrial production V national economy is very insignificant, and mineral resources do not cover the costs of their development. Two factors had a detrimental effect on the country's economy in the second half of the 1970s: first, a severe drought, which significantly reduced the number of livestock, and then the war with Ethiopia, as a result of which a flow of refugees numbering up to one million people poured from Ethiopia into Somalia. Even greater damage was caused to the country's economy by the inter-clan struggle that unfolded after the overthrow of the Siad Barre regime in 1991.

Agriculture and fishing.

The country is forced to purchase significant volumes of food abroad, primarily grains. Livestock farming - raising cattle, camels, goats and sheep - is common in the northern and central regions of the country. Agriculture is developed in southern regions, where important crops such as corn, sorghum, cassava, sesame, citrus fruits, sugarcane and cotton are grown. The only export crop is bananas, which are grown in the valleys and interfluves of Jubba and Webi-Shabelle. The development of crop production in much of Somalia is hampered by the lack of irrigation systems and drought protection measures.

The Somali diet contains almost no seafood, although the country's coastal waters are rich in fish, shrimp and lobster.

Industry

Somalia is mainly engaged in the processing of agricultural raw materials (production of canned meat, sugar refining, leather tanning). Textile factories use local and imported cotton. New production facilities include a cement plant and an oil refinery. About 4/5 of the country's industrial enterprises are part of the public sector of the economy. Industry employs 6% of the amateur population.

Foreign trade.

The value of Somali imports significantly exceeds exports. The trade deficit is covered by significant foreign borrowing. Export of live cattle brings up to 88% of revenues, and bananas - 8%. The main import items are industrial and food products, transport equipment, machinery and spare parts. 86% of Somalia's exports are purchased by Saudi Arabia. A third of imports come from Italy.

During the 1980s, Somalia received significant foreign aid, both military and economic. Most of it came from Arab countries, primarily from Saudi Arabia. Until the late 1980s, when gross human rights violations in Somalia led to a decline in foreign aid, the World Bank and the United States provided significant financial support to the country. Until 1977, the main aid to Somalia came from the USSR.

Transport.

Somalia has a developed network highways, mostly without hard coating. The main road links Mogadishu and Hargeisa. Mogadishu has international airport. Main sea ​​ports– Mogadishu, Berbera and Kismayo.

Story.

About 2 thousand years ago, Somali-speaking nomadic camel herders migrated from the Ethiopian Highlands and Northern Kenya to the Horn of Africa. Somali society consisted of clans that roamed in search of water and pasture for livestock. Leading a nomadic lifestyle, they did not set any boundaries to their territorial possessions.

Almost a thousand years ago, Arabs living along the coast of Africa converted the Somalis to Islam. It is believed that back in the 8th century. Sunni Muslims who fled the Abbasid Caliphate arrived in these regions. They founded the cities of Mogadishu, Marka and Baraue and displaced the earlier Arab population, which had gone inland and interbred with the Somalis. After converting to Islam, several Somali clans moved to the southern and eastern regions and took up farming. Religion was an important imperative for migrations, as well as Somali participation in the jihad, the Muslim holy war against Christian Ethiopia waged by Ahmed Gran in the 16th century. In the 17th–19th centuries. Trade in the coastal area was controlled by Arab rulers, first of the Sultanate of Muscat and later of the Sultanate of Zanzibar.

At the beginning of the 16th century. The Portuguese plundered the city of Baraue, but before they arrived here at the end of the 19th century. Italians, British and French Europeans did not show much interest in this region. In 1889, the Italians received a trade concession in the coastal area from one of the local rulers and gradually gained a foothold in its eastern and southern parts. In 1936, the colony of Italian Somalia was included in the Italian East Africa, in 1941–1949 was under the control of the British military administration, and in 1950, as a UN trust territory, it was transferred for a ten-year period to the control of Italy.

In the mid-1880s, Great Britain and France became interested in the northern regions of Somalia from the point of view of creating coal bases there for ships plying through the newly opened Suez Canal, as well as for the needs of the new British colony of Aden. Representatives of both powers concluded a number of agreements with local rulers. In 1887, Great Britain officially announced the creation of the British Somaliland protectorate. France captured part of the territory, which later became known as Djibouti. This was followed by the establishment of boundaries between the three colonial possessions. In 1954, despite protests from the Somalis, Britain decided to transfer the Ogaden to Ethiopia. Later, the British took into account pan-Somali sentiments and agreed to unite their protectorate and UN trust territory within a single state.

On July 1, 1960, a new independent state, the Somali Republic, appeared on the political map of Africa.

Aden Abdullah Osman was elected as the first president of Somalia; In 1967, the country was led by a new president, Abdulrashid Ali Shermark. After his assassination in October 1969, a military coup was carried out in the country. Major General Mohammed Siad Barre became the President of Somalia and the head of the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC), which consisted of army and police officers.

In 1970, during the celebration of the first anniversary of the coup d'état, which was now called a revolution, the President of Somalia announced the country's leadership's commitment to the ideas of socialism and the adoption of a development program prepared with the help of the USSR. Although some enterprises were subsequently nationalized and the Somali leadership began to pay more attention to central planning, the main sources of wealth - livestock and banana plantations - remained in the hands of private owners, and foreign trade transactions continued to be carried out by private traders.

Following the creation of the Somali script in the mid-1970s, the government launched a literacy campaign. A number of economically important projects were developed, in particular, a project to stabilize sand dunes in the Marches region. The government provided effective support to the UN World Health Organization in eradicating smallpox from Somalia. After the severe drought of 1974, the country's leadership quickly and decisively implemented a program to resettle part of the nomadic population.

In 1977, large-scale attacks began in the Somali-contested Ogaden region. fighting between Ethiopia and Somalia. With the support of the USSR and Cuba, Ethiopia captured the Ogaden. After defeat in the war, the Somali government denounced the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the USSR. Due to the hostilities, a huge flow of Somali refugees poured into Somalia from the Ogaden. By the early 1980s, the refugee camps were home to approx. 1 million people, i.e. one-fifth of Somalia's total population.

Throughout the 1980s, Siad Barre's regime gradually lost popularity among the population. In the post-war years, internal opposition to the regime intensified.

In 1988, the Somali National Movement (SNM), consisting mainly of representatives of the Isa tribal group, organized an attack on government troops and by 1990 ousted them from the territory of Northern Somalia. During the retaliatory reprisals, government forces killed approximately. 5 thousand representatives of the Isa tribal group. OK. 350 thousand Somalis found refuge in neighboring Ethiopia, and Hargeisa was turned into ruins. In 1989, the volume of foreign aid to Somalia sharply decreased. In total, approx. died during the civil war. 8 thousand people, and many Somalis joined the ranks of refugees.

The United Somali Congress (USC), created by the Hawiyya, and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), which represented the interests of the Darod tribal group, operating in the south of the country, ousted troops loyal to Siad Barre from the central regions of the country and in early 1991 drove the remnants of Siad Barre’s army out of Mogadishu.

Shortly after these events, the USC appointed Ali Mahdi Muhammad as interim president and invited all other anti-government groups to jointly discuss the formation of a new government. The political group Isa SNM refused to cooperate, and its leader Abdurahman Ahmed Ali was proclaimed president of the breakaway republic of Somaliland, which included most of the territory of Northern Somalia.

In August 1991, Ali Mahdi was sworn in as President of Somalia for a two-year term.

Inter-clan tensions, which escalated in early 1991, intensified by November, when the chairman of the USC, General Muhammad Farah Aidid, who belonged to the Khabar Gedir tribal group, part of the Hawiyya clan, attempted to remove President Ali Mahdi, who belonged to the Abgals tribal group, also part of the clan. Hawiyya. By December, approx. 4 thousand people, mostly civilians, at least 20 thousand people were injured, and Mogadishu was almost completely destroyed. The intensity of military operations is evidenced by the fact that transport of humanitarian aid to refugee camps in rural areas could not reach their destinations, and many refugees died from disease and starvation. The ceasefire agreement, brokered by the UN in March 1992, was constantly violated. In May, UN Special Representative Mohammed Sahnoun arrived in Somalia, and in September, a contingent of 500 UN peacekeeping forces arrived. The amount of food, water, seeds and medicine provided in aid was clearly insufficient to prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Mohammed Sakhnoun openly criticized the bureaucrats within the UN, after which he was forced to resign.

At the end of the year, the UN leadership agreed to the proposal of US President George W. Bush to gradually introduce troops into Somalia. A contingent of 28 thousand American troops arrived in January 1993 and began protecting port facilities, airports, highways and food distribution points. Despite the latest ceasefire agreement, armed clashes did not stop, and at times UN and US troops were forced to confront militants from different clans. In an effort to restore order and ensure the normal distribution of food aid, foreign patrols became increasingly involved in the complex vicissitudes of the internal political struggle in Somalia. Following an agreement reached by representatives of 15 Somali factions (excluding Somaliland) on the disarmament of armed groups and the creation of a transitional government, the United States reduced the number of its military contingent to several thousand people and in May transferred command of the multinational forces operating in Somalia to the UN.

In June 1993, 25 Pakistanis were killed in an armed clash between Pakistani UN forces and Aidid's soldiers. UN representatives demanded Aidid's arrest. By the end of the month, more than 30 UN peacekeeping troops and several hundred Somalis, including civilians. Aideed was still at large in October when a raid on Mogadishu to capture his closest associates killed more than a dozen American infantrymen and several hundred Somalis in a firefight. Given the escalation of violence and the growing number of casualties, President Bill Clinton announced his intention to withdraw all US troops from Somalia by March 1994. In addition to the Americans, most of the military contingents were evacuated in the spring European countries, and only units from Asian and African countries numbering approx. 20 thousand people. At the same time, at the initiative of the UN, negotiations took place in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi between representatives of 15 Somali tribal groups, as a result of which the Declaration of National Reconciliation was adopted. A few months later, another agreement was signed in Kismayo to resolve the situation in the country, to which several new groups joined. Despite all the statements about the need to refrain from violence, attacks on the UN peacekeeping contingent remaining in Somalia became more frequent. Throughout August, seven Indian military personnel and three Indian doctors were killed in several armed incidents in Baidoa. Citing the dangerous situation in Mogadishu, in September the US State Department decided to completely evacuate its diplomatic mission and the Marines guarding it from Somalia. Despite repeated truces, troop reductions, and then renewed hostilities, the UN Security Council decided to extend the UN peacekeeping force in Somalia until the end of 1994 to give the rival tribal groups another chance to reach agreement.

At the end of 1994, the volume of UN humanitarian aid was reduced by half. In December, the UN radio station in Somalia ceased operation, and the newspaper Ma'anta, the organ of the UN peacekeeping force, ceased publication.

Two conferences on national reconciliation were held in Mogadishu, one in the northern part of the capital, the other in the southern part. Their participants refrained from the idea of ​​​​creating two parallel governments. At the same time, various groups, anticipating the departure of UN peacekeeping forces from the country, tried to seize the seaport and airport in Mogadishu.

In the breakaway republic of Somaliland, President Mohammed Ibrahim Egal's armed forces recaptured the airport from opposition militias, after which the aggrieved side regrouped near the capital Hargeisa. The fighting in the Hargeisa area disrupted the fragile peace that had been maintained in that part of the country since the overthrow of the dictatorship of Siad Barre in January 1991. Meanwhile, the Somaliland government introduced its own currency. For the first three months, the Somaliland shilling was in circulation along with the regular Somali shilling, and then the former currency was withdrawn from circulation. New banknotes were printed in Great Britain.

In January 1995 former dictator Siad Barre died in exile. The funeral of the former head of state took place in his hometown in southwestern Somalia.

After it became obvious that the UN peacekeeping forces were not able to restore order, a decision was made to evacuate them from the country in March 1995. To speed up the withdrawal of UN troops and ensure their safety, a few American and Italian units were sent to Mogadishu, which successfully managed with your task. On the eve of the final withdrawal of peacekeeping forces from Somalia, the country's leading political leaders, General Muhammad Farah Aidid and Ali Mahdi Muhammad, to the surprise of many, managed to agree on a number of issues. Both leaders agreed, in particular, on the cessation of hostilities, the elimination of police control posts, the removal of trucks with anti-aircraft and machine gun installations placed outside Mogadishu, and the formation of a unified body to manage the capital's seaport and airport. Unfortunately, heavy fighting near the airport at the end of February not only undermined the emerging agreement, but also led to the closure of the air terminal. Thanks to the efforts of the capital's entrepreneurs, who did everything possible to maintain the joint administration provided for in the agreement, the seaport continued to function for some time.

In 1995, General Aidid's units suffered a number of defeats. In April, they were forced to cede the important town of Beledweyne in the central part of the country to armed forces of one of the tribal groups of the Hawiyya clan. Trying to prevent new problems, Aidid removed two high-ranking officials from the United Somali Congress and the Somali National Alliance he led. These figures immediately went over to the side of Osman Ato, who had previously provided financial assistance to Aidid, and then turned into his worst enemy. The contradictions between these politicians led to Aidid losing his post as chairman of both organizations in June.

Launching a powerful political counterattack, Aidid convened a national reconciliation conference, during which, with the support of his supporters, he was proclaimed president. The general's rivals attributed his surge in activity to financial and military support for Libya. In August 1995, Libya officially recognized the government of General Aidid.

In September, Aidid's armed forces launched an attack on Baidoa, which during the famine received the name "city of death." Aidid's capture of Baidoa interrupted attempts to restore the state. The Somalia Relief Coordination Organization, which brought together various international aid groups in Somalia, expressed regret, noting that such actions would have a lasting negative impact on the peace process.

In July, a terrible fire broke out at Somalia's largest Bakarah market in Mogadishu, destroying millions of dollars' worth of goods. The market was not under the control of any of the clans, and the cause of the fire remained a mystery. Aidid's two main rivals, Ali Mahdi and Osman Ato, blamed two banana export companies (the Italian Somalfruit and Sombana, a subsidiary of the American Dole Corporation) for the incident, saying that they were in collusion with the general. In October, militia units under Ali Mahdi opened fire on merchant ships in the port of Mogadishu, leading to the closure of the port. The outage of the capital's port forced representatives of the UN and other international organizations to use the small natural harbor of El Ma'an, located 30 km northeast of Mogadishu, to deliver goods.

In the north-west of the former state, the President of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, appointed a commission to develop the project new constitution. In response to ongoing armed clashes between Egal's forces and the rebels, neighboring Djibouti put its border units on alert.

The most significant event in the political life of Somalia in 1996 was the death in August of that year of General Muhammad Farah Aidid. In the months leading up to his death, there was a sharp escalation of hostilities in the south of the country.

In April 1996, Aidid returned to Mogadishu from Baidoa in southern Somalia, which had become his main base after being captured in September 1995. Immediately after moving to Mogadishu, General Aideed promised his supporters to launch a comprehensive fight against opponents of the regime. In July, Aidid's armed forces besieged Medina, an area in the southern part of the capital where members of the Abghal clan lived and which was controlled by forces supporting Ali Mahdi and Osman Ato.

At the end of July, Ali Mahdi's radio station reported that General Aideed was seriously wounded. After several denials, on August 2, 1996, the general's supporters announced on the radio that Aidid had died. Against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities, the elders of the Khabar Gebir tribal group quickly decided that his son Hussein Aidid would succeed the departed leader as “interim president.”

General's son Hussein, a naturalized US citizen and former American reservist Marine Corps, took command of covert operations aimed at strengthening Baidoa.

In October, through the mediation of the President of neighboring Kenya, Daniel arap Moi, the first meeting between Hussein Aidid and Ali Mahdi took place. Osman Ato also took part in the negotiations, where a verbal ceasefire agreement was reached. However, heavy fighting soon broke out in Mogadishu.

In December 1996, units of the Ethiopian army invaded southeastern Somalia and captured border towns controlled by the Islamic fundamentalist group al-Ittihad al-Islam. The earlier Ethiopian incursion into Somalia was sparked by an assassination attempt on the Somali-born Ethiopian Transport Minister Abdulmejid Hussein by members of the Ittihad group, which is fighting for the independence of the Somali-majority Ogaden region of Ethiopia.

In May, the Republic of Somaliland celebrated its fifth anniversary. Its president, Egal, said he was abandoning his earlier decision to run for another term.

In January 1997, a meeting of the leaders of 26 Somali factions took place in the Ethiopian town of Sodere, at which a decision was made to form the National Salvation Council (NSC). The meeting also agreed to hold a national reconciliation conference in Bosasso in northeastern Somalia to create an interim government. The President of the Republic of Somaliland, Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, who was re-elected to a second five-year term at the tribal council in February, was the last person who wanted his country to be reincorporated into Somalia and therefore refused all invitations to participate in the conference. Hussein Aideed took the same position. He did not trust Ethiopia's good intentions, and the SNA had the support of Ethiopia, an influential member of the Organization of African Unity. In messages sent to Ethiopian Prime Minister Males Zenawi and the SNA executive committee, George Moose, then the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, expressed support for Ethiopian initiatives.

To disrupt the Bosasso conference of Somali leaders, Hussein Aidid resorted to diplomatic maneuvers. His doubts about the usefulness of such a conference were shared by members of the Islamic fundamentalist group Ittihad, which, as a result of the December 1996 invasion by Ethiopians military units lost control of the Gedo region in southwestern Somalia. In addition, Hussein Aidid wanted Egypt to act as a mediator in negotiations with the SNA. In the end, Egypt managed to bring both sides to the negotiating table in Cairo in November. After more than a month of discussions, an agreement was reached in late December to form a 13-member presidential council, including the president and prime minister. It was agreed that all members of the council would have equal powers, while the president would be assigned purely representative functions. It was also decided to convene a national reconciliation conference in Baidoa in February 1998.

In August 1998, Hussein Aidid entered into an alliance with his father's sworn enemy Ali Mahdi. Both political leaders agreed to form a joint administration to govern Mogadishu. For the first time in almost ten years, a single administration headed by a governor began to function in the capital of Somalia. At the same time, the rapprochement between Aidid and the Mahdi caused a negative reaction from other elders of tribal groups in the capital, who began to form their own unions. At the end of 1998, there was no sign of the end of the civil war in Somalia.

Faction leaders were unable to hold a planned national reconciliation conference in Baidoa. During 1998, its opening dates were postponed more than four times. That same year, there was an escalation of hostilities in the south of the country. Armed clashes did not subside in Baidoa itself and its environs. It was also not possible to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in the area of ​​the port of Kismayo in southern Somalia.

Natural disasters added to the difficult political situation. In southern Somalia, heavy rains that began in October led to floods that caused untold disaster and the death of more than 2 thousand people. Baidoa, like many other settlements, was literally destroyed.

The elders of the tribal groups who met in the northeast of the country in Bosasso refrained from the idea of ​​​​creating separate state. Instead, it was decided to form an autonomous regional administration, called "Puntland". The most influential leader of the region was Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed of the Darod clan. He was educated in Italy and the USSR, and was an officer in the Somali army in the 1960s. In 1969, Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed refused to participate in the military coup of Mohamed Siad Barre and was imprisoned until 1975.

In 1978, together with a group of tribal leaders, he opposed the Barre regime. The coup attempt failed, many representatives of Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed's clan were killed or fled the country, including himself. From abroad, he, supported by the Ethiopian authorities, directed guerrilla warfare by the Somali Democratic Salvation Front. However, disagreements arose between the allies over Ethiopia's claims to Somali territory, and Abdullah was imprisoned in Addis Ababa in 1985. He was released in 1991 during a change of government and again began to enjoy the support of the Ethiopian authorities.

In 1998, Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed declared Puntland an autonomous state. He established the post of President and the Council of Elders with the functions of Parliament. Puntland elders elected Abdullah as president for a three-year term. An authoritarian regime was established in the self-proclaimed state: the activities of political parties were prohibited, and many of Abdullah's opponents were subjected to repression. Abdullah joined the pro-Ethiopian coalition of military leaders that opposed the creation of Somalia's transitional national government in 2000.

Somalia in the 21st century

In 2001, another local leader, Jama Ali Jama, was elected as the new president of Puntland, but Abdullah refused to recognize the new leadership, citing the need to fight terrorism. In 2002, thanks to support from Ethiopia, he returned to power.

In October 2004, the Somali parliament elected Abdullah as president of the country's transitional administration for 5 years. The inauguration took place in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, where the process of peaceful resolution of the Somali crisis had previously taken place. The Republic of Somaliland accused the new regional government of violating its territorial integrity.

In mid-2006, control over the central and southern part Somalia was established by the fundamentalist movement "Council of Islamic Courts of Somalia". Its leader was Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

In the 2000s, Sharif Ahmed was a teacher at a school in Mogadishu, where there was ongoing confrontation between armed groups that were part of the so-called. Anti-terrorist alliance, and Islamist militants. In addition, the city had an extremely high crime rate. Sharif Ahmed, with like-minded people and with the support of residents, first created a district and then a city Sharia court to fight crime and maintain order, becoming its chairman. In July 2004, an organization emerged - the Somali Islamic Courts Council (SICC), or also the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC).

Sharif Ahmed, who became its chairman, adhered to moderate positions, but some of the organization's leaders were radical Islamists, some of whom had ties to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. The Council of Islamic Courts movement was supported by local businesses interested in restoring order, and in the summer of 2006 the Islamists took control of Mogadishu, as well as the central and southern parts of the country.

The country's transitional government, headed by President Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed, entered into military action against the Islamists of the Council of Islamic Courts. In September 2006, Islamist militants made an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed.

In December 2006, large-scale military operations began, which Ethiopia supported with air strikes and ground forces. By early 2007, government troops and the Ethiopian military had driven the Islamists out of the capital and from most other positions they had occupied.

At the beginning of January 2007, the United States intervened in the conflict: with the approval of the Somali leadership, attacks were carried out on the alleged positions of militants in southern Somalia. Sharif Ahmed surrendered to Kenyan authorities, and a few days later he left Kenya for Yemen.

In September 2007, representatives of the Somali opposition created the “Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia” at a meeting in Eritrea. The opposition union was headed by Sharif Ahmed. In June 2008, Sharif Ahmed, on behalf of the Alliance, signed an agreement providing for the renunciation of any armed confrontation for three months.

In November 2008, Sharif Ahmed returned to Somalia, where the confrontation between the government and Islamists continued. By this time, Ethiopia had promised to withdraw troops by the end of 2008, and Sharif Ahmed advocated that Ethiopian troops be replaced by an international peacekeeping force.

A serious problem that has not been resolved to this day is piracy off the coast of Somalia. Sharif Ahmed was forced to allow the intervention of foreign forces to fight the pirates.

On December 10, 2008, Sharif Ahmed returned to Mogadishu. His return was approved by the UN, but Somali President Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed had his own attitude to this event, in particular, he dismissed Prime Minister Noor Hassan Hussein for his sympathy for Sharif Ahmed.
On December 17, the country's parliament approved the recently formalized agreement with the opposition and began the impeachment procedure of the president.

At the end of December 2008, President Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed left office. After his departure, clashes between Islamist groups began in the country.

In January 2009, Sharif Ahmed held talks with representatives of various Somali clans in order to end the clashes.

On January 25, 2009, the final withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia was announced.
On January 31, 2009, Sharif Ahmed became the new president of Somalia after a vote in the Somali parliament took place outside the country, in Djibouti. However, his moderate position did not suit the radical Islamists of al-Qaeda. In February 2009, Sharif Ahmed agreed to a truce with Islamist groups and even introduce Sharia law. But despite the introduction of Sharia law, the civil war in Somalia did not stop. Islamist rebel forces occupied Mogadishu in October 2011, requiring the intervention of African Union troops to expel them from the city.

Literature:

Khazanov A.M. Somali Republic.(Historical sketch). M., 1961
Sergeeva I.S. Somali Republic. Geographical characteristics . M., 1965
Sherr E.S. Somalia in the struggle for socialist orientation. M., 1974

Useful information for tourists about Somalia, cities and resorts of the country. As well as information about the population, currency of Somalia, cuisine, features of visa and customs restrictions Somalia.

Geography of Somalia

The Somali Republic is a state in East Africa. Somalia is often called the Horn of Africa. The country has access to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. It borders in the northwest with Djibouti, in the west with Ethiopia, and in the southwest with Kenya.

Most of Somalia's territory is occupied by the vast Ogaden plateau with average altitudes of approx. 900 m above sea level It gradually rises to the north, forming the arid Houd Plateau. Along the northern coast of the country stretches the raised edge of the plateau, which drops steeply with rocky ledges to the coastal plain. The highest point of the country is Mount Shimbiris (2407 m). The southern provinces of Somalia are flat plains.

State

State structure

Somalia is nominally a republic. The head of state and government is the president. Legislative power belongs to the People's national assembly. In reality, due to ongoing armed inter-ethnic and inter-party conflicts, Somalia is temporarily a country without a government.

Language

Official language: Somali, Arabic

In large cities some English and Italian are spoken. Swahili is also spoken, especially in the southern regions.

Religion

Almost 99% of the population is Sunni Muslim.

Currency

International name: SOS

The Somali shilling is equal to 100 cents. There are banknotes in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 Somali shillings, as well as coins in denominations of 1 shilling and 50, 10 and 5 cents.

You can pay in US dollars almost everywhere, in the north - Yemeni rials and Egyptian pounds.

Usage credit cards and travel checks are almost impossible.

Tourism in Somalia

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Currently, this East African state practically does not exist in its entirety; it actually collapsed as a result of civil war.

Somalia borders Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. In the east it is washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean, and in the north by the waters of the Gulf of Aden.

Current situation in Somalia

In the south and southwest of Somalia, the confrontation between the Mujahideen of the Islamist movements Harakat al-Shabab and Hizb-ul-Islaami with the autonomous administrations of Jubaland and Southwestern Somalia, allied to the Federal Government of Somalia, continues.
Northern Somalia is controlled unrecognized state The Republic of Somaliland, which declared its independence in 1991. However, the legitimate government of Somalia actually controls only part of the country and 60% of the capital Mogadishu.
Mujahid- this is any Muslim who fights, makes some effort for the sake of Allah, i.e. is a participant in jihad. A jihad in Islam is the fight against one's spiritual or social vices (for example, lies, deception, corruption of society, etc.), the elimination of social injustice, constant diligence in the spread of Islam, waging war against aggressors, punishing criminals and lawbreakers. IN Arabic the word “jihad” means any effort or diligence, including in work, study, etc. But in a number of democratic secular countries and republics, jihad refers to a branch of extremism.
Recognition of the independence of Somaliland is under discussion, but Great Britain, Belgium, Ghana, South Africa, Sweden, and Djibouti have already established diplomatic relations with this republic. The Ethiopian embassy operates in the capital of Somaliland, Hargeisa. But this question has not yet decided, while separatist movements began in Somaliland itself: first Northland and Maahir separated, then Awdaland in the west of the self-proclaimed state.

Several small warring armed groups (including clans of Somali pirates) continue to operate in central Somalia, expressing independence in relation to the federal authorities.
In August 2012, an interim Constitution was adopted in Mogadishu, defining Somalia as a federation. The Federal Government was formed.
Transitional Federal Government forces and African Union peacekeepers are engaged in armed struggle against various factions. Others are drawn into the Somali conflict African countries(Kenya, Ethiopia, etc.). How the dramatic events in this country will end is unknown.
If you look at the situation in Somalia unbiasedly and soberly, then the reason for the war, the deployment of UN peacekeeping troops, etc. is obvious: Somalia is a source of minerals, oil, and the country occupies a geostrategic position - the Suez Canal can be controlled from its territory. And Western “peacekeepers” are acting according to the same scenario in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Somalia...
After the overthrow of the regime of Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991, the country virtually disintegrated and became an arena of endless tribal wars. This is a brutal nightmare come true from American action movies about a world after a nuclear apocalypse, where the surviving people have fallen into complete savagery and fight every day for survival among the ruins.

The capital of the country, Mogadishu, has been in ruins since 1992, and now it is difficult to believe that less than a quarter of a century ago it was a thriving city that united several world cultures.
In the meantime, we will talk about the state of Somalia, which no longer exists, but which has a lot of original and interesting things, except for the war. And also about what still remains.

State symbols

Flag- repeats the flag of Italian Somalia. The blue color is taken from the UN flag, in gratitude for the assistance that the UN provided to Somalia in gaining independence from Italy. The five points of the star symbolize the five regions where Somalis live: Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, former British Somalia and Italian Somalia. The flag was approved on July 1, 1960.

Coat of arms– is an azure shield with a gold border, in the center with a silver 5-pointed star. The shield is topped with a stylized gold crown with five prongs and supported by two facing leopards standing on crossed spears fastened with a gold ribbon under crossed green palm branches. The coat of arms was approved on October 10, 1956.

State structure

Form of government- presidential republic. But at present there is virtually anarchy.
Head of State- President.

Incumbent since 2012 Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud
Head of Government- Prime Minister.
Capital- Mogadishu.
Largest cities– Mogadishu, Hargeisa.
Official languages– Somali, Arabic. The written language of Somalia was created in 1973 based on the Latin alphabet. According to UNESCO, in 1980 the literacy rate was 6.1%.
State religion- Sunni Islam. Somalia ranks 2nd on the list of countries where the rights of Christians are most often oppressed.
Territory– 637,657 km².
Administrative division– 18 provinces.

Population– 10,251,568 people. Political life countries are largely defined by the multi-ethnic nature of their populations. There are six main tribes: Dir, Darod, Isaac, Hawiye, Dikil and Rahanvain, the first four are nomadic pastoralists, the other two are settled farmers. Nomadic tribes consider themselves descendants of the ancestor of the Somalis, Somalia. Darod and Isaac are fiercely contesting the championship. Each tribe is divided into clans, often at enmity with each other.
Currency– Somali shilling.
Economy. Somalia is an economically backward and poor country. It has scarce mineral resources, and the basis of the economy is mainly nomadic and semi-nomadic livestock raising. About 80% of the working population is employed in agriculture. The share of industrial production is insignificant, and mineral resources do not cover the costs of their development. Many factors had a detrimental effect on the state of the country's economy: severe droughts, wars, inter-clan struggle that unfolded after the overthrow of the Siad Barre regime in 1991.

Agriculture: livestock farming is widespread mainly in northern regions; agriculture - in the south. They grow corn, sorghum, cassava, sesame, citrus fruits, sugar cane and cotton. The only export crop is bananas; they are cultivated in the valleys and interfluves of Jubba and Webi-Shabelle. The Somali diet contains almost no seafood, although the country's coastal waters are rich in fish, shrimp and lobster. Industry: mainly processing of agricultural raw materials (production of canned meat, sugar refining, leather tanning). Textile factories use local and imported cotton. New production facilities include a cement plant and an oil refinery. Imports exceed exports. Export: live cattle and bananas. Import: industrial and food products, transport equipment, machinery and spare parts. Transport: developed network of roads, mostly without hard surface. Mogadishu has an international airport. The main seaports are Mogadishu, Berbera and Kismayo.

Education– training at all levels is free. Until 1972, there was no written language in Somalia, so there was no full-fledged education system. Since 1972, a campaign to combat illiteracy began. Higher and vocational education: National University Somalia in Mogadishu and several specialized colleges.
Sport– basketball is developed. Somalia has competed in 7 Summer Olympics, making its debut at the Munich Games in 1972. Despite the ongoing civil war since 1988, Somalia has sent small delegations to the Games. Somali athletes have never participated in the Winter Olympics. Somalia has never won an Olympic medal.
Armed forces– consist of ground forces, naval and air forces.

State entities in Somalia

Currently, the following state entities exist in Somalia:
Somali Republic- the main part of Mogadishu, thanks to the military contingent from Uganda and Burundi stationed there. These territories are controlled by the Transitional Federal Government.
Jubaland(southwest). Since 2013 it has been autonomous.
Galmudug(center) – autonomous region. Now it recognizes the Transitional Federal Government, considering itself autonomous, and participates in the war on the side of the federal government;
Himan and Cheb(center) - a semi-autonomous state entity on the territory of Galmudug, adhered to neutrality, is considering the possibility of joining federal Somalia.
Ahlus-Sunnah-wal-Jama'a (central areas, adjacent to the border with Ethiopia) - a group of moderate Islamists supporting the Transitional Federal Government and participating in the war on its side, controlling a small territory on the front line, has autonomy status.
Puntland(northeast) – autonomous region. Recognizes the central Transitional Federal Government. But he declared his neutrality. Maahir (north) is an autonomous state, recognized by the Transitional Federal Government and considers itself autonomous.
Khatumo(north) – autonomy has been an autonomy since 2012. In January 2012, it declared itself an autonomy called the Somali State of Khatumo, and was recognized in this status by the President of Somalia.
The Islamic Emirate of Somalia (“Jamaat Al-Shabaab”, “Al-Shabaab”) is a radical Islamist movement that has ties to Al-Qaeda and works closely with radical Islamists in neighboring Yemen. Controls large areas in southwest and central Somalia;
Republic of Somaliland(northwest). It declared itself an independent state on May 18, 1991. It is not officially recognized by any state in the world, although it has informal political ties with a number of countries.

Avdaland(northwest) - self-proclaimed autonomous region in August 2010. Located in federal Somalia. Does not explicitly participate in the war.
It is interesting to note that all these state entities have their own flag, coat of arms, and capitals.
This is what it looked like political map Somalia in October 2014

Nature

Most of the country's territory is occupied by plateaus and plateaus. The climate is subequatorial monsoon climate; in the north – tropical desert and semi-desert. The State of Somalia has the longest coastline among all African countries, it extends over 3,300 km.
The only rivers in Somalia that never dry up (Jubba and Wabe-Shabelle) are located in the southern part of the country.

Jubba River
Groundwater in most of the country is deep and increased concentration minerals. Wabe Shabelle and Jubba are very important to the people and wildlife of Somalia, especially during the dry season.
The plateau's vegetation includes tall, coarse grasses. Sometimes there are thickets of bushes and trees, among them mimosa, acacia, aloe, and ether-bearing shrubs.

Adenium somali
In the mountains in the north of the country there are small groves of cedar, fig and juniper. In many areas, natural vegetation was completely destroyed. It is believed that approximately 3.5 thousand years ago the Somali peninsula was covered with forests. It rained so much that houses had to be built on stilts to avoid flooding. The country traded timber with many countries. It turns out that she was trading too successfully. In the end rain-forest was destroyed, and descendants were left with barren, sun-scorched land.

Fauna: zebras, hyenas, foxes, various types of antelopes, lions, leopards, warthogs, various birds. Elephants, giraffes and rhinoceroses have been almost completely destroyed by poachers. Since the outbreak of civil war in 1991, conservation measures have been completely lacking in Somalia.
Kismayo Park(Kismayu) is an area inhabited by lions, hyenas, leopards, and monkeys.

Culture

The majority of Somalia's population are nomadic pastoralists. The main value for them is camels, symbolizing wealth. A Somali who has a dozen camels (as well as a hundred goats and sheep) is considered wealthy. Nomads live in temporary settlements, in collapsible yurt-type dwellings made of camel skins 1.5-2 m high and 3-5 m in diameter (akala). Around these dwellings they build a fence of cacti and thorny acacia - this is a corral for livestock.

Akal
Sedentary Somalis (farmers and fishermen) build cylindrical huts with adobe walls and a thatched roof. The dimensions of these huts are the same as the yurts of nomads. IN large villages They also erect rectangular dwellings with adobe walls and roofs made of palm leaves.

On holidays, they organize mass dances with singing, accompanied by clapping hands, stamping their feet, and knocking wooden planks. They dance to the sounds of tambourines and drums, as well as to the sounds produced by blowing into sea shells. The usual reason for the holiday is the birth of a son, the birth of a camel, or the receipt of some income.
The national dress of Somali men consists of a loincloth and a long piece of fabric falling from the shoulder diagonally across the chest, usually from locally produced linen, dyed white, orange or blue. Sometimes a shoulder cape is also worn, which is used to cover the head in bad weather.

A Somali woman's dress is a piece of fabric 10-15 m long, part of which is wrapped around the hips, and the rest is draped top part torso, but leaving one shoulder bare. Men's and women's shoes - das sandals. Many Somalis wear leather collars around their necks with quotes from the Koran.
Men now wear mostly European clothes.
The main food of nomadic pastoralists: camel milk (fresh and sour), sheep and goat cheese, sometimes meat and porridge. Sedentary Somalis eat mainly porridge, flatbread and sometimes milk. Most Somalis categorically do not eat fish, poultry, or eggs - these products are considered “unclean” in Somalia.

Sights of Somalia

Laas Gaal ("Camel's Well")

Cave complex in Somaliland. Famous for its well-preserved rock paintings, some of the oldest on the Somali Peninsula and some of the best preserved on the entire continent.
Numerous petroglyphs have been discovered on the walls of the caves, depicting mainly cows, but also people, wolves or dogs and giraffes. Particularly interesting are the drawings of cows: they all have unusual lyre-shaped horns, many of them are dressed in ceremonial clothing, their necks are decorated with some kind of shell. Dating of petroglyphs: from IX-VIII to III millennium BC. e.

Shinbushi Beach

Located 5 km from the city of Merca. This place attracts with its landscapes and comfortable sandy beach.

Hargeisa Main Mosque

Hargeisa - capital unrecognized Republic Somaliland, the second largest city in Somalia.

Architectural monuments of Somalia

Mogadishu's main square in the 1970s
Arab sailors founded Mogadishu back in the 9th century, turning it into the trade gateway of East Africa, a meeting place between the African world and Arab civilization. The historical Farh ad-Din mosque, built in 1269, has still been preserved. In the 16th century. The Portuguese captured the city, but were unable to hold out there. Then the city came under the rule of the Sultan of Zanzibar, and from him to the Italians in 1892, who ruled intermittently until 1960, when the country's independence was declared.

Former parliament building

This is what the flourishing city of Mogadishu has become

The main symbol of the Italian heritage in Somalia is the majestic cathedral in the Norman-Gothic style, erected in 1928.

And this is what he looks like now
Since the civil war began, the Republic of Somalia has effectively been divided into dozens of warring groups. Disease, hunger and ineffective government policies contributed to the emergence of terrorist groups that spread crime and violence throughout the country. Somalia is the most failed state in the world.

Story

In the 3rd century BC. e. In northern Somalia, the Greeks and Egyptians, subjects of the Ptolemies, founded their trading posts. They were also involved in capturing and sending elephants to Egypt.
The main population of Somalia at that time were nomadic pastoralists, although port villages already existed on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, governed by local princes. In the 1st-2nd centuries AD. e. the population of the coast of northern Somalia traded with the Roman Empire, South Arabia, and India: fragrant resins, spices, ivory, turtle shells, slaves were exported from here, and handicrafts and food products were imported.
During the heyday of the Aksumite kingdom in ancient Ethiopia in the IV-VI centuries. n. e. The northern part of Somalia falls under his rule, and the important port of Zeila arises.
Ruins of Zeila
With the decline of Aksum's influence in northern Somalia, the early state formation of the Berbers and the alliance of the Hawiyya tribes emerged. They included semi-sedentary farmers-pastoralists, as well as nomads.

Middle Ages

Islam began to spread in Somalia in the 12th-13th centuries. From the same period, sultanates began to emerge, which quickly disintegrated. There were constant wars between them. Wars were also fought against the Christian Ethiopian Empire.
In 1499, Portuguese ships under the command of Vasco da Gama appeared off the coast of Somalia. The Portuguese captured the Somali cities of Mogadishu, Baroue, Zeila and gradually subjugated the entire coast of Somalia.
Opposed to the Portuguese Egyptian Mamluks and the Turks, who used the support of local Somalis. Ethiopia entered the fight on the side of Portugal. In 1530-1559. was on the territory of Somalia bloody war between the Somalis, Mamluks and Turks against the Ethiopians and Portuguese. Ethiopia won, and the Somali tribes broke up into small alliances that fought among themselves.

Citadel of Gonderche
As a result, the population of Somali cities has sharply decreased. Some cities were abandoned. Zeila in the 17th century. came under Turkish rule. WITH mid-17th century V. The coastal cities in eastern Somalia began to be subjugated by the Sultanate of Oman. After the residence of the Omani sultans was moved to Zanzibar, the eastern coast of Somalia went to Zanzibar, and the northern coast to Turkey. In internal parts Somalia formed many local sultanates that did not recognize the authorities of Turkey and Zanzibar.

Somalia in the 19th century

IN early XIX V. In Somalia, various teachings of Muslim movements and sects began to spread, periodically declaring “jihad” against their neighbors.
In 1819, one of the sects founded the theocratic state of Bardera, which began to fight against the sultanates of Geledi, Tunni and Baraue. IN mid-19th century, Bardera was destroyed by its neighbors, but pockets of jihad remained.
Since 1869, Egypt began to seize the ports of Somalia, but to no avail. In 1884-1888. Great Britain, Italy and France divided the entire coast of Somalia among themselves.
Southern Somalia became a protectorate of Italy. North coast came under British rule, Djibouti came under French rule. Some Somali tribes in the interior of the country recognized Ethiopian authority.

Somalia in the 20th century

Since 1899, the Muslim preacher Said Mohammed Abdille Hassan fought against the Italians and British under the slogans of jihad, the expulsion of foreigners and the establishment of a truly Islamic state. During World War I, Hassan counted on help from Turkey and Germany. It was possible to defeat Hassan only in 1920.

Monument to Said Mohammed Abdilla Hassan in Mogadishu. Said Mohammed Abdille Hasan- Somali religious leader, founder of the dervish state, who led the fight against British and Italian colonialists for more than 20 years. Considered a national hero of Somalia.
In the 1920s, Italian colonialists began to develop a European-style plantation farming system in Somalia, building roads and irrigation structures.
During the same period, the British colonialists in their part of Somalia were mainly engaged in building roads, improving ports and exporting hides (mainly goats).
During World War II, Somalia was first united under Italian flag, then under British. After a long transition period Somalia was granted independence.

Independence

After gaining independence in 1960, two former colonies were formally united: Italian Somalia and British Somalia (Somaliland). The first president was Aden Abdul Osman Daar. The Soviet Union helped the country - an agreement on economic and technical cooperation was signed.

Mohamed Said Barre
In 1969, a military coup took place, General Mohamed Siad Barre came to power, declaring a course towards building socialism with Islamic specifics. In 1970-77. Somalia received significant Soviet military and economic assistance, and the Soviet fleet received a base in Berbera.
After gaining independence, Somalia made territorial claims to neighboring countries and territories: Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti (then Afar and Issa Territories). Siad Barre made a surprise attack on Ethiopia in 1977, pursuing a policy of creating Greater Somalia and with the goal of seizing the Ogaden region, captured by Ethiopia at the beginning of the 20th century. and inhabited by Somali tribes. The USSR sided with Ethiopia, Somalia was defeated.
In 1978 there was a coup attempt by forces army officers, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who from 2004 to 2008 would become the formal head of state, also took part in it.

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
In the 1980s, a rebel war broke out in the north of the country, and as a result of the ongoing crisis, President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, and the country plunged into complete chaos.

Chaos in the country

Somalia as a state virtually ceased to exist, having lost all the attributes of a single statehood and disintegrated into many patches controlled by warring warlords. The northern part of the country declared its independence as the Republic of Somaliland, and remains relatively stable. In 1991-1992 A severe famine broke out in Somalia, killing 300 thousand people. In December 1992, UN peacekeeping forces were brought into the country to protect workers of organizations distributing humanitarian aid from the actions of local warlords. But UN forces allowed themselves to be drawn into the intra-Somali conflict and began to be attacked by militants from one of the contenders for the post of president of the country, warlord Mohammed Aidid. American troops have withdrawn from Somalia. In 1995, UN units from other countries also left the country. The conflict entered a latent stage, Somalia turned into a base for Indian Ocean pirates. The seizure of ships and hostages became a frequent occurrence. Pirates use boats, machine guns and grenade launchers.
In 2000, an attempt was made to unify the country when a graduate of a Soviet university, Abdul-Qassim Salat Hassan, was elected president. But the field commanders who had the support of Ethiopia refused to obey him. In 2004, an alternative interim government was created, headed by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.
In the spring of 2006, Mogadishu became the scene of battles between Islamists from the Union of Islamic Courts and pro-American field commanders from the Counter-Terrorism Alliance for the Revival of Peace. Within months, the Union of Islamic Courts controlled seven of the ten regions in southern Somalia, including Mogadishu. They called it a period of “unprecedented stability” and “a huge success in the fight against crime.” But international intervention in the affairs of Somalia began.
At the end of 2006, Ethiopia intervened in the conflict on the side of the warlords, defeated the military forces of the Union of Islamic Courts and installed the government of Yusuf Ahmed in Mogadishu. His administration did not control most of countries. On December 29, 2008, Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed resigned. At the beginning of 2009, Ethiopia completed the withdrawal of its troops from Somalia. Formations of the Islamic group al-Shabaab have taken control of most of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
January 31, 2009 The leader of moderate Islamists, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, was elected President of Somalia.

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
In 2009, Sharia law was introduced in the country. But despite this, Sharif Ahmed's government was able to control only a few square kilometers of the capital, mainly thanks to the inter-African peacekeeping force. This part of the capital is constantly under fire from the rebels. Al-Shabaab Islamists introduced Sharia law in the territories they controlled. Public amputations of the hands of Somalis accused of thefts have become commonplace. International observers suspect the possibility of contacts between al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda.

Somalia - small country, whose population is about 10,000,000 people, so the best choice for exploring the country is the city of Mogadishu, which is the capital. It is here that the traveler can contemplate unique architectural monuments, abandoned parks containing many rare species of animals.

So, let's get acquainted. The capital of Somalia is located on the shores of the Indian Ocean, at an altitude of nine meters above sea level. It is believed to be the northernmost area of ​​East Africa and has a very convenient natural bay. It is not known for certain, but most likely the word “Mogadishu” is of Persian or Arabic origin. This is due to the fact that in 900 the Muslims who lived there colonized the city. After some time, it became a major regional center, as it was located at the intersection of important trade routes. Almost the entire land of the country is barren, but the capital of Somalia and its surroundings have soil suitable for various agricultural works.

Since 1000, the volume of trade between cities has increased, this contributed to the rapid economic development of the city. These data are confirmed by Sri Lanka, as well as Vietnam, which were found during archaeological excavations.

Five hundred years later, the capital of Somalia was under Portuguese control. Three hundred years later, the sultan ruling the city gave it to Italy for use, and already in 1905 this country bought the city. During World War II, Britain occupied it in February 1941 and continued to rule Mogadishu until 1952. It was not until 1960 that Somalia became an independent state, with Mogadishu the main city of the country. Today Mogadishu is the only capital throughout the world, where the UN, due to the lack of security guarantees, cannot provide Since 1991, Mogadishu is the center of an ongoing war and the most ungovernable place in Africa. Therefore, a holiday in Somalia, in Mogadishu, can be quite dangerous.

Of course, the main historical periods are reflected in the sights that have survived to this day. An example is the Garesa Palace, built in the 19th century by the Sultan of Zanzibar. Currently, there is a museum with rare exhibits that allow you to get to know the local culture, and a library. The capital of Somalia has the National Palace and the President's Residence - modern buildings that attract the attention of visitors.

Architecture lovers will be interested in the narrow quarters of the city, which are represented by colorful houses made in the Afro-Arab style. Patterns from ancient times are still present on the walls of some buildings, and the courtyards are surrounded by numerous greenery, in the shade of which you can hide from the heat. Unfortunately, most of the houses are in dilapidated condition.

The Somali Peninsula has another attraction - the most uncontrolled market in the world - the Baccarat Market. Here you can buy everything except bananas, rice, and some other products. False documents, weapons, drugs on retail space freely available.