Somalia Nation Profile – BBC Information

Created in 1960 from a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, Somalia collapsed into anarchy after the overthrow of President Siad Barre's army regime in 1991.

As rival warlords divided the nation into clan-based fiefdoms, an internationally-backed unity authorities fashioned in 2000 struggled to ascertain management, with separatist actions within the two comparatively peaceable northern areas of Somaliland and Puntland.

Nonetheless, in contrast to Somaliland, Puntland just isn’t attempting to achieve worldwide recognition as a separate nation, however is a part of the Somali federal state.

The seize of the capital Mogadishu and far of the nation's south by a coalition of Islamic sharia courts in 2006 prompted an intervention by Ethiopian and later African Union forces.

Since 2012, when a brand new internationally-backed authorities was put in, Somalia has been transferring in direction of stability, however the brand new authorities nonetheless face a problem from the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab insurgents.

President: Hassan Sheikh Mohamud

Hassam Sheikh Mohamud was elected by parliament in Might 2022, defeating incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo.

Mohamud had served a earlier time period as president in 2012-2017, which was dominated by the combat towards al-Shabab jihadists, and he nonetheless faces a robust problem from the insurgency.

Somalia's disintegration is mirrored in its fragmented and partisan media, which operates in a hostile surroundings.

Journalists and media organizations complain of intimidation by state safety businesses. Nonetheless, professionally run media have emerged – particularly, FM radio with out clear factional affiliations.

The TV and print sectors are weak and radio is the dominant medium. Home Web entry is hampered by poor infrastructure, however social media use is on the rise.

Seventh-19th centuries – From the appearance of Islam within the Seventh century onwards, present-day Somalia has been dominated by a sequence of typically competing sultanates.

19th century – European colonial powers progressively enter the rival regional states of Somalia, with many of the space underneath Italian rule and the British establishing management of the northwest.

1960 – Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland turn out to be unbiased, merge and type the United Republic of Somalia.

1969 – Mohamed Siad Barre takes energy in a coup after the assassination of the elected president; he goes on to declare Somalia a socialist state and nationalizes a lot of the economic system.

1991 – The overthrow of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 sparks a decades-long civil conflict between rival clan warlords and the disintegration of central authority. Former British Somaliland declares unilateral independence.

the 1990s– The US-led UN peacekeeping mission fails to revive peace.

2006 – Militias loyal to the Islamic Union of Islamic Courts seize Mogadishu and different components of the south after defeating clan warlords, earlier than being pushed out by Ethiopian forces.

2007-11 – An African Union peacekeeping power, Amisom, begins to deploy and Ethiopian troops withdraw in 2009. Al-Shabab – a jihadist breakaway from the Islamic Courts – advances in southern and central Somalia, prompting an armed intervention from Kenya.

2012 – Efforts to revive a government since 2000 have lastly made substantial progress, with the primary official parliament sworn in in additional than 20 years and the primary presidential election since 1967 held.

2022 – Somali authorities forces, aided by US airstrikes and African Union troops, perform main offensives towards al-Shabab, regaining management of great areas beforehand underneath the group's management.

2024 – Ethiopia and Somaliland signal a memorandum of understanding for landlocked Ethiopia to make use of certainly one of Somaliland's ports. Somalia describes the deal as an act of “aggression”.