On this day 28 years ago, Siad Barre declared Somalia a socialist state. The independent Somali Republic had been formed on 1 July 1960. Following the assassination of President Shermarke in 1969, General Siad Barre had seized power in a coup d’état. Throughout most of the 1970s, the Somali government was supported by the Soviet Union, and it became Africa’s most militarised nation. However, Soviet support ended when Barre went to war with Ethiopia over the disputed Ogaden territories.
The Soviets switched their support to the Afro-Marxist regime in Ethiopia, and when massive military support arrived for Ethiopia the Somalis were soundly defeated. Since then Ethiopia has largely been behind destabilisation efforts in Somalia, and Somalia has degenerated into a lawless land ravaged by rival warlords. In 1993 Barre was eventually ousted, and civil war erupted in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
The US attempted a spectacularly unsuccessful intervention called Operation Restore Hope, which is depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down. The international community retreated from Somalia after the defeat of the US forces, and lawlessness has prevailed for 15 years. One of the primary economic activities has become piracy, with many millions of dollars having been paid by ship owners for the release of captured ships and their crews.