Overview Of Colonialism In Somalia

Since the end of colonialism, the continent of Africa has struggled to develop politically and economically, however, according to the Failed State Index of 2013, Somalia takes the number one spot as the most failed state in the world. A medley of colonialism, single-party rule, civil war, and terrorism has made political development in this country next to impossible. This paper will delve into the history and more specific reasons behind this poor ranking, with the hopes of understanding how Somalia reached this point and what can be done to reverse the situation.

I. The Repercussions of Colonialism

European colonialism did not have positive lasting effects for the people of Somalia. Many of the issues that have plagued Somalia since its independence can be traced back to colonialism in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Colonialism began in Somalia in 1840 when the British East India Company began to make agreements and trade treaties with Somali chiefs in the northwestern portion of modern day Somalia. The colony was off the coast of the Gulf of Aden, next to modern day Djibouti and the British named their newly claimed territory, British Somaliland. Later on, in 1897, the Italians decided that they wanted a piece of the pie and they began marking out the boundaries for Italian Somaliland, which was made up of the southeastern sliver of land that goes all the way up to the Gulf of Aden. In 1897, Ethiopia even declared its ownership of a region of western Somalia named Ogaden, an assertion that would create a territorial dispute for the next century. This is how Somalia appeared under colonialism:

It’s no surprise that many people in Somalia were not okay with this system of colonial rule. In 1899, a group called The Dervish...

... middle of paper ...

.... The next month, the new MPs elected Somali activist, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as president in the first real presidential election since 1967. As al-Shabaab weakened, piracy also decreased significantly in 2012. In January of 2013, the United States formally recognized the new Somali government. The U.S. had not recognized a government as legitimate in Somalia since 1991. While attacks by al-Shabaab continue to plague Somalia, Mogadishu and the southern regions of Somalia are continually seeing a decrease in victims of violence. Alongside all these promising developments, over the next few years, Somalia will see 2.4 billion dollars in reconstruction aid in order to increase security and strengthen the economy. Although the future of Somalia’s political development is uncertain, it does seem that there is hope that the worst has past for this struggling country.