Ethiopian–Somali conflict

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Ethiopian-Somali conflict

Ethiopia (Orange) and Somalia (Blue)
Date1948 – present
Location
Horn of Africa
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
 Ethiopia  Somalia

The Ethiopian–Somali conflict is a territorial and political dispute between

Democratic Republic of Somalia
in 1991, Ethiopia has the upper hand militarily and economically.

Background

The earliest form of

Ethiopian-Somali
conflict dates back to the 14th century.

In the 14th and 15th century the rulers of the Christian Ethiopian highlands had become increasingly interested in proselytizing the coastal lands where Islam flourished, particularly in what is now northern Somalia to achieve sea access. The Ethiopian Empire sought to control the trades routes from ports such as Zeila. Abyssinian military expeditions were dispatched south-eastward from the highlands over the decades in a bid to achieve these goals, and were ultimately a significant unifying force among the Somali and other Muslim nationalities in the region.[1]

Around the same period, the Egyptian

Ifat Sultanate seized and imprisoned the delegates sent by the Emperor as they were returning from Cairo.[3] Amda Seyon responded by invading Ifat, which contained Somali populations, and killing many of Ifat's soldiers. Part of the army then followed him and destroyed its capital, with Amda Seyon plundering its wealth in the form of gold, silver, bronze, lead, and clothing. Amda Seyon continued his reprisals throughout all of his Muslim provinces, taking livestock, killing many inhabitants, destroying towns, and taking prisoners, who were later assimilated.[4] This would lead to long-term hostilities and animosity between the two states, resulting in multiple Ifat rebellions against Ethiopian hegemony. The first mention of the ethnonym "Somali" dates to the reign of Emperor Yeshaq I who had one of his court officials compose a hymn celebrating a military victory over the Sultan of Ifat's eponymous troops.[5]

Locations of Ifat Sultanate and Abyssinian Empire

1500s

According to Professor Richard Greenfields, "In the 16th century the number and size of Abyssinian raiding parties, and consequent plunder and destruction, was on the increase. Eventually, the harassed Somali people retaliated."

firearms such as the matchlock musket, cannons and the arquebus over traditional weapons.[9]

1800s and 1900s

Before the emergence of the anti-colonial

expanding into Somali inhabited territories. The disparity in numbers and firepower left Somalis defenceless to attack. In 1893, the then Earl of Rosebery remarked that the British government, "cannot with justice withhold from the Somali tribes under our protection such limited supply of arms as may suffice to enable them to protect themselves from predatory bands of Abyssinian's."[10]

In 1887, Menelik conquered the city of

Somali poetry recording the event noted that though many had been killed by the well armed Ethiopians, Muslim fighters of several clans had confronted and defeated the invasion at Yaaqle. Contemporary Somali literature suggests that the Ethiopians were initially perceived to be a larger danger than the Italians, who at the time were confined to coastal enclaves.[13]

In the years leading up to the

Wal Wal incident in 1935.[15]

Modern conflict

After Italy lost control of Italian Somaliland and Eritrea during the Second World War, these regions came under British military administration. It was during this period that Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie expressed a keen interest in both territories, which his government deemed as 'lost provinces' of the empire. He laid claim to them openly, asserting that the ancient Somali coastal region of Banaadir, which encompasses Mogadishu, as well as the adjacent Indian Ocean coastline, rightfully belonged to Ethiopia based on historical grounds. In 1941, leaflets were dropped by the British Royal Air Force over Italian occupied territory on the Emperor's behalf, declaring:

"I have come to restore the independence of our country, including Eritrea and the Benadir, whose people will henceforth dwell under the shade of the Ethiopian flag."[16]

Following the conclusion of World War II and the establishment of the United Nations, Ethiopia submitted a memorandum to the UN, contending that prior to the era of European colonialism, the Ethiopian empire had encompassed the Indian Ocean coastline of Italian Somaliland.[16]

1948–1982

In 1948, the British Military administration, which had been in control of the Somali inhabited Ogaden region since WWII, commenced a withdrawal. This transition saw the replacement of British officials with Ethiopian counterparts between May and July of that year in a significant handover process. In the town of Jijiga, incoming Ethiopian authorities instructed the Somali Youth League (SYL) to remove their flag, as they had declared both the party and its emblem as unlawful. The SYL defied this directive, leading to the flag being machine-gunned by an armored vehicle. This event escalated following the killing of a police officer after a grenade was thrown of the roof of the SYL headquarters. The police responded by firing into a crowd of protesters killing 25. Following this incident, Ethiopian administration resumed in Jijiga for the first time in 13 years. Then, on 23 September 1948, following the withdrawal of British forces and the appointment of Ethiopian district commissioners, areas east of Jijiga were placed under Ethiopian governance for the first time in history.[17]

Under pressure from their

Menelik in exchange for his help against raids by Somali clans.[19] Britain included a clause that the Somali residents would retain their autonomy, but Ethiopia immediately claimed sovereignty over the area.[20] This prompted an unsuccessful bid by Britain in 1956 to buy back the Somali lands it had turned over.[20] Disgruntlement with the 1948 decision led to repeated attempts by Somali parties to re-unite the ceded Ogaden, Reserve area and Haud region with the other Somali territories in Greater Somalia
. Major clashes over the disputed region include:

Greater Somalia comprises Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, the Somali Region in Ethiopia and the Northern Front District in Kenya

Ethiopian intervention in Somali Civil War (1996–2006)

The first incursion by Ethiopian troops after the fall of the central Somali government took place in August 1996. In March 1999, Ethiopian troops reportedly raided the Somali border town of

Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiya group which had been fighting to unite Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region with Somalia.[23]

In April 1999 two major Somali leaders,

Doollow on Friday, April 9, 1999. They further alleged that the Ethiopian troops had taken over the local administration and detained officials in the towns.[24] In May 1999, Ethiopian soldiers, with the help of a pro-Ethiopian Somali faction occupied the town of Luuq in southwestern Somalia, close to the borders with Ethiopia and Kenya. In late June 1999, Ethiopian soldiers, supported by armoured vehicles launched an attack from Luuq that resulted in the capture of Garba Harre in the Gedo region, which was previously controlled by the Somali National Front led by Hussein Aideed. The attack was apparently aimed at flushing out Ethiopian rebels based in Somalia.[25]

Ethiopia–TNG conflict (2000–2004)

Ethiopia backed a coalition of warlords in order to undermine an attempt at restoring a government in Somalia when the

Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiya.[27] Although an attempt was made to improve relations between Ethiopia and the TNG in June 2001,[28] relations only really improved in 2004 when Abdullahi Yusuf became president of the new TFG. Ethiopia then reversed its position and began to support the interim government, especially against the Islamic Courts Union
.

Over the early 2000's, Ethiopia has supported and is alleged to have supported a number of different

Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA) and Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (former President of Puntland and current Somali TNG President).[29] A number of Somali warlord factions have also held meetings and formed loose alliances in Ethiopia.[30][31]

Incursions in Puntland and Gedo regions

In January 2001, Somalia's TNG

Garowe (capital of Puntland) with other Ethiopian troops reportedly moving into the neighbouring Bay region and around Baidoa. The Ethiopian government denied these reports and accused the interim government of spreading "malicious lies" about Ethiopia's policy towards Somalia.[38]

In May 2002, Ethiopian troops launched an incursion into Gedo to support militias fighting against the Transitional National Government. Ethiopian soldiers again attacked and temporarily captured the border town of Beledhawo on 15 May 2002 with the help of the SRRC after the town had been captured by a rival militia. During the raid, the commander of the rival militia, Colonel Abdirizak Issak Bihi, was captured by the Ethiopian forces and taken across the border to Ethiopia. After the raid, control of the town was turned over to the SRRC. Earlier in May, Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed had retaken control of Puntland by ousting his rival Jama Ali Jama with the aid of the Ethiopian army.[36]

In February 2003, Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, admitted that Ethiopian troops were occasionally sent into Somalia to battle the militant Islamist group, Al-Ittihad and stated that the group was linked to Al-Qaeda. He also claimed that Ethiopia's government had lists of Al-Ittihad members who were, at the time, in the Transitional National Government and parliament of Somalia; a claim that TNG President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan has consistently denied.[27] President Hassan has in turn, accused Ethiopia of destabilizing Somalia, interfering daily in Somali affairs and violating the arms embargo on Somalia by supplying weapons to warlords opposed to the Transitional Government at the time; Ethiopia denied these charges.[39]

Ethiopian invasion & occupation of Somalia (2006–2009)

Main article: Invasion and occupation of Somalia (2006–2009)

The Ethiopian government heavily backed Abdullahi Yusuf's presidency and the formation of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in 2004 on the grounds that Yusuf would give up Somalia's long standing claim to the Ogaden.[40] The rise of the Islamic Courts Union raised Ethiopian concerns of an eventual renewed drive for a Greater Somalia, as a strong Somali state not dependent on Addis Ababa was perceived as a security threat.[41][42] British television station Channel 4 acquired a leaked document detailing a confidential meeting between senior American and Ethiopian officials in Addis Ababa, involving no Somalis, six months prior to the full scale invasion of Somalia during December 2006. The Ethiopians and Americans deliberated on various scenarios, with the 'worst-case scenario' being the potential takeover of Somalia by the Islamic Courts Union. The documents revealed that the US found the prospect unacceptable and would back Ethiopia in the event of an ICU takeover. Journalist Jon Snow reported that during the meeting ‘the blueprint for a very American supported Ethiopian invasion of Somalia was hatched’.[43]

By the end of the second year of the Ethiopian military occupation, the majority of the territory seized from the Islamic Courts Union during the December 2006 and January 2007 invasion had fallen under the control of various Islamist and nationalist resistance groups.[44][45] On 12 January 2009, the last ENDF troops withdrew from Mogadishu, ending the two year long occupation of the capital.[46][47] The occupation largely failed.[48] By the time of the withdrawal, the TFG possessed control over only a few streets and buildings in Mogadishu with the rest of the city coming under control of Islamist factions, particularly Al-Shabaab.[49] The withdrawal of Ethiopian troops sapped Al-Shabaab of the widespread support it had enjoyed from Somali civilians and across clan lines as a resistance faction during the occupation,[50] but came too late to have a substantial impact on the group's transformation into a formidable oppositional force.[51]

Al-Shabaab battle hardened over the Ethiopian occupation and notably began governing territory for the first time in 2008.[52][44] Instead of eliminating 'Jihadist' activity in Somalia, the Ethiopian invasion had the effect of creating more 'Jihadis' than had existed in the country before.[53] By the time of the ENDF withdrawal, Al-Shabaab's forces had grown significantly in numbers, swelling from a few hundred to several thousand fighters strong since the invasion began.[54] After the killing of the groups leader Aden Hashi Ayro in 2008, Al-Shabaab began publicly courting Osama bin Laden in a bid to become part of Al-Qaeda, but was rebuffed by bin Laden. Following his death, Al-Shabaab pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda in 2012.[44][55] In 2024, Somalia's Minister of Justice Hassan Mo'allin Mohamoud publicly stated the wave of terrorism the country is experiencing was the 'direct result' of the 2006 invasion.[56]

Al-Shabaab invasion of Ethiopia (2022)

This section is an excerpt from 2022 al-Shabaab invasion of Ethiopia.[edit]

In July 2022, the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab launched an invasion[57] from Somalia into Ethiopia's Somali Region. Following attacks on the Somali side of the border, the rebel militants initially attacked Ethiopia's Afder Zone on 21 July and occupied the town of Hulhul before being driven back by Somali Region paramilitary forces. On 25 July, the militants launched a second incursion at Ferfer which was also defeated. Further cross-border attacks continued in the following days, while Ethiopia launched counter-attacks in response. Clashes between the Somali rebels and security forces inside Ethiopia extended into early August, and at least one small al-Shabaab contingent succeeded in evading the Ethiopian force and reached its main target, the Bale Mountains.

The invasion was the largest attack by al-Shabaab in Ethiopian territory to date.[58]

See also

Sources

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  4. ^ Pankhurst, Borderlands, p. 79.
  5. ^ I.M. Lewis, A modern history of the Somali: nation and state in the Horn of Africa, 4, illustrated edition, (James Currey: 2002), p.25.
  6. ^ Saheed A. Adejumobi, The History of Ethiopia, (Greenwood Press: 2006), p.178
  7. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, inc, Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 1, (Encyclopædia Britannica: 2005), p.163
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  16. ^ a b Drysdale 1964, p. 65.
  17. ^ Drysdale 1964, p. 70-71.
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  20. ^ a b Zolberg, Aristide R., et al., Escape from Violence: Conflict and the Refugee Crisis in the Developing World, (Oxford University Press: 1992), p. 106
  21. ^ Somalia, 1980–1996 ACIG
  22. ^ Ethiopian-Somalian Border Clash 1982 Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine OnWar.com
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  24. ^ Somalis unite against Ethiopia (BBC)
  25. ^ Ethiopia 'captures' Somali town (BBC)
  26. ^ "Profile: Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed". BBC News. 2008-12-29. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
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  28. ^ Somalia mends fences with Ethiopia (BBC)
  29. ^ Analysis: Somalia's powerbrokers (BBC)
  30. ^ Somalia again accuses Ethiopia (BBC)
  31. ^ Somali warlords form unity council (BBC)
  32. ^ Somalia accuses Ethiopia (BBC)
  33. ^ Ethiopia and Somalia in diplomatic row (BBC)
  34. ^ "The New Humanitarian | Puntland capital calm but "extremely tense"". The New Humanitarian. 2001-11-26. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
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  38. ^ Ethiopian troops 'deploy' in Somalia (BBC)
  39. ^ Somali leader lambasts Ethiopia (BBC)
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  56. ^ Al-Khatib, Anwar (16 March 2024). "وزير العدل الصومالي: السياسة الإثيوبية تجاه الصومال ستشعل المنطقة". The New Arab (in Arabic).
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  58. ^ Harun Maruf (26 July 2022). "Why Did Al-Shabab Attack Inside Ethiopia?". VOA. Retrieved 30 July 2022.

Bibliography

External links
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