Somalia Conflict

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Somalia Conflict

• The Battle of Mogadishu

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Background Information

• In January 1991, the dictator of Somalia,
  Mohammed Siad Barre, was overthrown by a
  coalition of opposing clans, called the United
  Somalia Congress.
• After this revolution, the coalition divided into
  two groups.

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• One was led by Ali Mahdi Muhammad, who became
  president and the other, by Mohammed Farah
  Aidid.
• FOUR OPPOSING GROUPS The United Somali Congress,
  Somali Salvation Democratic Front Somali
  Patriotic Movement and Somali Democratic
  Movement- All fought for control

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• In June 1991, a ceasefire was agreed to, but
  failed to hold.
• A fifth group, the Somali National Movement, had
  already seceded from the northwest portion of
  Somalia in June.
• The SNM renamed it the Somaliland Republic, with
  its leader Abdel-Rahman Ahmed Ali as president.

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• In September 1991, fighting broke out in
  Mogadishu, continued for months and spread
  throughout the country
• 1 year- 20,000 killed/injured
• Fighting led to the destruction of the
  agriculture of Somalia, which in turn led to
  starvation in large parts of Somalia.

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• The international community began to send food
  supplies to halt the starvation, but vast amounts
  of food were hijacked and brought to local clan
  leaders, who routinely exchanged it with other
  countries for weapons.
• CORRUPTION!

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• An estimated 80 percent of the food was stolen.
• These factors led to even more starvation
• Approx. 300,000 people died, and another 1.5
  million people suffered, between 1991 and 1992.

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• In July 1992, after a ceasefire between the
  opposing clan factions, the United Nations (UN)
  sent 50 military observers to watch the
  distribution of the food.
• President Bush initiated humanitarian airlifts
  and such to help the rural areas of the country

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Operation Gothic Serpent

• October 3 1993, Task Force Ranger, a U.S. Special
  Operations Forces composed mainly of Rangers,
  Delta Force operators, and aviation support from
  the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
  (Airborne) (the Night Stalkers)

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• attempted to capture Aidid's foreign minister,
  Omar Salad Elmi and his top political advisor,
  Mohamed Hassan Awale.

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• The plan was to fast rope from hovering MH-60
  Black Hawk helicopters, capture the targets, and
  load them onto a ground convoy for transport back
  to the U.S. compound. Four Ranger chalks, also
  inserted by helicopter, were to provide a secure
  square perimeter on the four corners of the
  operation's target building.

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• The ground extraction convoy was supposed to
  reach the captive targets a few minutes after the
  beginning of the operation. However, it ran into
  delays.

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• Somali citizens and local militia formed
  barricades along the streets of Mogadishu with
  rocks and burning tires, blocking the convoy from
  reaching the Rangers and their captives. A
  five-ton truck, part of the convoy, was struck by
  a rocket-propelled grenade

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• An Army Ranger was injured
• Another fell too fast from the Blackhawk
  helicopter
• Black Hawk was shot down by a rocket propelled
  grenade.
• Later in the mission another Black Hawk was shot
  down waiting for instruction
• About 90 Rangers found themselves trapped for the
  night in the middle of the streets.

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• WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN?

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• The Battle of Mogadishu'- a mission that turned
  into a deadly 17 hours - is generally forgotten
  by most Americans. But it continues to cast a
  long shadow on US military thinking and decision
  making about humanitarian/peacekeeping
  operations.

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• Its legacy, say many experts, was a continuing
  U.S. reluctance to be drawn into other trouble
  spots such as Bosnia, Rwanda and Haiti during the
  1990s.

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Rwandan Genocide
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• The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass
  extermination of hundreds of thousands of ethnic
  Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda.
• This genocide was mostly carried out by two
  extremist Hutu militia groups, the Interahamwe
  and the Impuzamugambi, during a period of about
  100 days from April 6 through mid-July 1994.

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• Over 500,000 Tutsis and thousands of moderate
  Hutus died in the genocide, with some reports
  estimating the number of victims to be between
  800,000 and 1,000,000.

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• In 1959, violence between the Tutsi and Hutu
  erupted. Hutus overthrew Tutsi rule
• declared an independent republic and elected the
  first Hutu president, Greg wa Kayabanda. Mass
  killings of Tutsis occurred during the transition
  to Hutu rule, hinting at things to come.

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Inciting the Genocide

• Rwandan President Habyarimana Burundian
  President are killed when Habyarimana's plane is
  shot down near Kigali Airport.
• Hutu extremists, suspecting that the Rwandan
  president is finally about to implement the
  Arusha Peace Accords, are believed to be behind
  the attack.

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• The killings begin that night

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• In the wake of the Rwandan Genocide, the United
  Nations and the international community in
  general drew severe criticism for its inaction.
• Despite international news media coverage of the
  violence as it unfolded, most countries,
  including France, Belgium, and the United States,
  declined to intervene or speak out against the
  massacres.

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• Canada continued to lead the UN peacekeeping
  force in Rwanda, United Nations Assistance
  Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR). However, the UN did
  not authorize UNAMIR to intervene or use force to
  prevent or halt the killing.

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• Classification?

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• Ethnic classification on ID Cards in Rwanda
  instituted by the Belgian colonial government and
  retained after independence, was central in
  shaping, defining and perpetuating ethnic
  identity.

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• Once the 1994 genocide in Rwanda began, an ID
  card with the designation "Tutsi" spelled a death
  sentence at any roadblock.
• No other factor was more significant in
  facilitating the speed and magnitude of the 100
  days of mass killing in Rwanda.

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• In order to strengthen their control, the
  Belgians colonists divided Rwandas unified
• population into three distinct groups Hutu,
  Tutsi, and Twa.
• In order to do this, the colonists created a
  strict system of racial classification.

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• Both the Belgians and the Germans, influenced by
  racist ideas, thought that the Tutsi
• were a superior group because they were more
  white looking.

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• The description is that Tutsis tend to be taller,
  with relatively thin or "lanky" frames, and have
  pointed noses and more "European" facial features
  and sometimes lighter skin
• Hutus are more average in height and stocky in
  body frame.
• Another difference is supposed to be that Tutsis
  have dark oral mucosa (gums) while Hutu have
  lighter colored oral mucosa.

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• While many do fit the description, there are Hutu
  who slightly look like Tutsi, Tutsi who look like
  Hutu, but this could be due to intermarriages and
  there are many Rwandans and Burundians don't
  really fit either description

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• The Hutus, who make up about 85 of Rwandas
  population, were denied
• higher education
• land ownership
• positions in government.
• By the 1950s, their resentment had grown.

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• The genocide ended when a Tutsi-dominated
  expatriate rebel movement known as the Rwandan
  Patriotic Front, led by Paul Kagame, overthrew
  the Hutu government and seized power.

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• Fearing reprisals, hundreds of thousands of Hutu
  and other refugees fled into eastern Zaire (now
  the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Ethnic
  hatreds that fueled the Rwandan Genocide quickly
  spilled over into Congo, fueling the First and
  Second Congo Wars.

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• Rivalry between Hutu and Tutsi tribal factions is
  also a major factor in the Burundi Civil War.

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