Humanitarian Intervention: Somalia, 199293

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Humanitarian Intervention Somalia, 1992-93

• Prof. Theo Farrell
• Kings War Studies

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Humanitarian Interventions?

• India in East Pakistan (1971)
• Tanzania in Uganda (1978)
• Vietnam in Cambodia (1978)

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Post CW interventions

• Northern Iraq (1991)
• Somalia (1992-93)
• Bosnia (1992-94)
• Rwanda (1994)
• Haiti (1994-95)
• Kosovo (1999)
• East Timor (1999)

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Impact of end of CW

• Created new opportunities and imperatives
• New view of 3rd world conflict
• Growing public pressure for HI
• Unlocked the UNSC

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UN peacekeeping budget

• 1988 230 m
• 1990s 800-1,600 m

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Post CW interventions

• Northern Iraq (1991)
• Somalia (1992-93)
• Bosnia (1992-94)
• Rwanda (1994)
• Haiti (1994-95)
• Kosovo (1999)
• East Timor (1999)

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Somalia the essentials

• Two missions
• (i) UNITAF Dec 92 May 93
• (ii) UNOSOM up to Feb. 1995
• Three UNSC resolutions
• 794 UNITAF mandate
• 814 UNOSOM II mandate
• 837 Declaration of war

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Somalia on the map
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Background Somalia

• Cold War legacy economic ruin and country awash
  with weapons
• 1991 USC overthrow Siad Barre
• 1992 Somali state collapses

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1992 Death of Somalia

• USC splits in warring factions
• (a) President Ali Mahdi
• (b) Gen. M. Farah Aideed
• Growing humanitarian crisis war and famine
• UN agencies flee Somalia
• Deployment of UNOSOM (Aug)

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Somalia war and famine
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1992 Death of Somalia

• USC splits in warring factions
• (a) President Ali Mahdi
• (b) Gen. M. Farah Aideed
• Growing humanitarian crisis war and famine
• UN agencies flee Somalia
• Deployment of UNOSOM (Aug)

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1991 brave new world

• The Gulf War (w/Soviet help)
• Kurdistan
• Collapse of Soviet Union
• New BOP and emerging normative order

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Agenda for Peace (Jan. 1992)

• Peace-keeping is the deployment of a United
  Nations presence in the field, hitherto with the
  consent of all the parties concerned, normally
  involving United Nations military and/or police
  personnel and frequently civilians as well.

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Pressure builds in DC

• Ismat Kittani report to UNSC
• (25 Nov) 70-80 of food aid not reaching the
  hungry
• CARE USA leads alliance of INGOs calling for
  intervention
• Debate within deputies group our helicopters
  dont work in deserts.

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NGOs divided

• For CARE USA and Oxfam-USA
• Against MSF and Save the Children
• Unsure Concern Worldwide and Oxfam-UK

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Pressure builds in DC

• Ismat Kittani report to UNSC
• (25 Nov) 70-80 of food aid not reaching the
  hungry
• CARE USA leads alliance of INGOs calling for
  intervention
• Debate within deputies group our helicopters
  dont work in deserts.

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Whats this then?
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Operation Restore Hope

• VCJCS says yes
• 3 Dec UNSCR 794
• 9 Dec Marines hit the beaches
• Why?
• (a) public opinion
• (b) Clinton and Bosnia

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Weinberger-Powell Doctrine

• Clear (doable) goals
• Success likely
• Decisive and overwhelming force
• Clear (quick) exit strategy

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UNITAF

• 37,000 strong, over 20 nations
• 28,000 US forces (10 Mt Div and 1 MEF)
• Also large and capable contingents from France
  (2800), Canada (2200), Italy (1300) and Belgium.

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UNITAF rapid deployment

• Robert Oakley clears the path
• 9-16 Dec secured Mogadishu, Kismayo, Baidoa, and
  Baledogle
• 16-28 Dec completed full deployment, one month
  ahead of schedule

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Somalia major urban centres
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UNSCR 794

• Based on Chap VII
• UNITAF was to use all necessary means to
  establish as soon as possible a secure
  environment for humanitarian relief operations in
  Somalia.

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Secure environment

• Disarmament?
• Guarding NGOs?
• Creating secure zones and corridors

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Disarmament? not likely

• Bush (5 Dec) UNITAF to open supply routes, to
  get the food moving, and to prepare the way for a
  UN peacekeeping force.
• Boutros-Ghali letter to Bush (8 Dec).
• CJCS Powell Disarmament is not possible in a
  country where everybody has a weapon.
• Lt. Gen. Johnson totally naïve.

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Creating security?

• UNITAF engaged in haphazard disarmament
  (French/Belgium v US)
• Guarding NGOs
• disarming NGO guards!
• practice changes in Mogadishu after March
• Australian (Baidoa) Belgian (Kismayo)
• Patrolling US human tanks v French in skirts

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Disarmament agreements

• 7 point agreement btw Aideed and Ali Mahdi (11
  Dec 1992)
• Addis Ababa agreement by 15 factions (8 Jan 1993)
• Addis Ababa Conference on National Reconciliation
  (27 March 1993)

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UNOSOM II

• 28,000 troops from 30 nations
• Major contingents from Pakistan, Belgium, France
  and Italy
• US force stays on logistics (3,000) and QRF
  (1,150)
• Chaotic handover Pakistanis and Italians
  ill-equipped, Indians late, exhausted and
  demoralised HQ

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UNSCR 814

• Prevent resumption of violence
• Take action against peace spoilers
• Control heavy weapons and seize small arms
• Secure aid and protect UN/NGOs
• all under Chap VII

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Adm Jonathan Howe
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Road to war

• Early shows of force in Jan
• SNA sneak heavy weapons back into Mogadishu
• May Belgians repulse SNA from Kismayo
• Possible op against Radio Mogadishu
• 5 June SNA ambush Pakistan unit, killing 24 and
  injuring 57

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UNSCR 837

• UNSOM II to take all necessary measures against
  those responsible for the armed attacks.
• Including those responsible for inciting the
  attacks

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The UN-SNA war

• June UNOSOM offensive
• July UN under siege
• August hunt for Aideed
• (led by Task Force Ranger)

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UNs obsession
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Mission over
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UNOSOM II collapses

• 3 Oct 18 killed, 78 injured
• 7 Oct Clinton ceases offensive ops, and US to
  pull out by March 1994
• Europeans follow suit
• India, Malaysia, and Pakistan left holding the
  fort until Feb. 1995

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Myth of mission creep

• Boutros-Ghali Albright pushing the HI agenda
• UNOSOM II mandate overly-ambitious from the
  start
• BBG backed Howes gunboat diplomacy

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Public opinion

• CNN effect
• - policy certainty v uncertainty
• - political unity v disunity
• Body-bag syndrome
• - cause and time
• - political v public tolerance

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Force protection v protecting civilians

• US human tanks in Mogadishu
• Haiti (Sept 1993)
• 10 Mt Div in Port-au-Prince v US Marines in
  Cap Haitien
• MNF CO Maj. Gen. Meade v CJSC Gen. Shelton

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The shadow of Somalia

• Gen. Sir Michael Rose (UNPROFOR) the Mogadishu
  Line
• PDD-25 dont call us
• Agenda for Peace 1995 consent, impartiality and
  non-use of force
• Rwanda April-July 1994

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Bosnia 1992-1995
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Haiti 1994-1995
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Inducing consent

• Escalating to success
• Request for armour and AC-130s turned down
• Danish tanks in Bosnia
• Getting heavy in Kosovo