Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:45:44 -0600
Background Note: Somalia
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
NOTE: There is no official U.S. representation in Somalia Statistical data on Somalia in this report are subject to
dispute and error.
Geography
Area: 637,657 sq. km.; slightly smaller than Texas.
Cities: Capital--Mogadishu. Other cities--Beledweyne, Kismayo, Baidoa, Jowhar, Merca, Gaalkayo, Bosasso, Hargeisa, Berbera.
Terrain: Mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in the north.
Climate: Principally desert; December to February--northeast monsoon, moderate temperatures in north, and very hot in
the south; May to October--southwest monsoon, torrid in the north, and hot in the south; irregular rainfall; hot and
humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons.
People
Nationality: Noun--Somali(s). Adjective--Somali.
Population (2009 est., no census exists): 9.8 million (of which an estimated 2 million in Somaliland).
Annual growth rate (2009 est.): 2.815%.
Ethnic groups: Somali, with a small non-Somali minority (mostly Bantu and Arabs).
Religion: 99.9% Muslim.
Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English.
Education: Literacy--total population that can read and write, 37.8%: male 49.7%; female 25.8%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--109.19/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth--total population: 49.63 yrs.
Work force (3.447 million; very few are skilled workers): Pastoral nomad--60%. Agriculture, government, trading, fishing, industry, handicrafts, and other--40%.
Government
Type: Transitional government, known as the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), established in October 2004 with a
5-year mandate leading to the establishment of a permanent government following national elections in 2009. In January
2009, the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) extended this mandate an additional two years to 2011 and expanded to
include 200 Members of Parliament (MPs) from the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia and 75 MPs from
civil society and other groups, doubling the size of the TFP to 550 MPs.
Independence: July 1, 1960 (from a merger between the former Somaliland Protectorate under British rule, which became
independent from the U.K. on June 26, 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the
Italian-administered UN trusteeship on July 1, 1960, to form the Somali Republic).
Constitution: None in force. Note: A Transitional Federal Charter was established in February 2004 and is expected to
serve as the basis for a future constitution in Somalia. In August 2004, the Somali TFP was established as part of the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led Somalia National Reconciliation Conference in accordance with the
Charter. The Somalia National Reconciliation Conference concluded following the election of a Transitional President in
October 2004.
Branches: Executive--On January 30, 2009, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was elected by the TFP as President of the TFG following the December
29, 2008, resignation of former TFG President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. On February 13, 2009, President Sharif appointed
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as the new Prime Minister of the TFG. A cabinet, known as the Council of Ministers, also
exists. Legislative--Transitional Federal Parliament, established in August 2004. Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur “Madobe” was elected Speaker of the
Parliament on January 31, 2007. Judicial--Supreme Court not functioning; no functioning nationwide legal system; informal legal system based on previously
codified law, Islamic (shari'a) law, customary practices, and the provisions of the Transitional Federal Charter.
Political party: None.
Note: In 1991, a congress drawn from the inhabitants of the former Somaliland Protectorate declared withdrawal from the
1960 union with Somalia to form the self-declared Republic of Somaliland. Somaliland has not received international
recognition, but has maintained a de jure separate status since that time. Its form of government is republican, with a
bicameral legislature including an elected elders chamber and a house of representatives. The judiciary is independent,
and three official political parties exist. In line with the Somaliland Constitution, Vice President Dahir Riyale Kahin
assumed the presidency following the death of former President Mohamed Ibrahim Egal in 2002. Kahin was elected President
of Somaliland in elections determined to be free and fair by international observers in May 2003. Presidential elections
originally scheduled to be held in April 2008 have now been postponed four times. Elections for the 84-member lower
house of parliament took place on September 29, 2005 and were described as transparent and credible by international
observers.
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (no nationwide elections).
Administrative subdivisions: 18 regions (plural--NA; singular--Gobolka). Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal,
Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellah Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed.
Central government budget: N/A.
Defense: N/A.
National holiday: July 1 (June 26 in Somaliland).
Economy
GDP (2008 est.): U.S. $5.524 billion.
Annual growth rate (2008 est.): 2.6%.
Per capita GDP (2008 est.): $600.
Avg. inflation rate: N/A.
Natural resources: Largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, uranium, copper, salt; likely
petroleum and natural gas reserves.
Agriculture: Products--livestock, fish, bananas, corn, sorghum, sugar. Arable land--13%, of which 2% is cultivated.
Industry: Types--Telecommunications, livestock, fishing, textiles, transportation, limited financial services. Somalia's surprisingly
innovative private sector has continued to function despite the lack of a functioning central government since 1991.
Trade: Exports--$300 million (f.o.b., 2006 est.): livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal. Major markets--United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia. Imports--$798 million (f.o.b., 2006 est.): food grains, animal and vegetable oils, petroleum products, construction materials,
manufactured products, qat. Major suppliers--Djibouti, India, Kenya, United States, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
Aid disbursed: N/A.
Remittances (2008 est.): $2 billion.
GEOGRAPHY
Somalia is located on the east coast of Africa and north of the Equator and, with Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and
Kenya, is often referred to as the Horn of Africa. It comprises Italy's former Trust Territory of Somalia and the former
British Protectorate of Somaliland (now seeking recognition as an independent state). The coastline extends 2,720
kilometers (1,700 mi.).
The northern part of the country is hilly, and in many places the altitude ranges between 900 and 2,100 meters (3,000
ft.-7,000 ft.) above sea level. The central and southern areas are flat, with an average altitude of less than 180
meters (600 ft.). The Juba and the Shabelle Rivers rise in Ethiopia and flow south across the country toward the Indian
Ocean. The Shabelle does not reach the sea.
Major climatic factors are a year-round hot climate, seasonal monsoon winds, and irregular rainfall with recurring
droughts. Mean daily maximum temperatures range from 30oC to 40oC (85o F-105oF), except at higher elevations and along
the east coast. Mean daily minimums usually vary from about 15oC to 30oC (60oF-85oF). The southwest monsoon, a sea
breeze, makes the period from about May to October the mildest season in Somalia. The December-February period of the
northeast monsoon also is relatively mild, although prevailing climatic conditions in Somalia are rarely pleasant. The
"tangambili" periods that intervene between the two rainy seasons (October-November and March-May) are hot and humid.
PEOPLE
The Cushitic populations of the Somali Coast in the Horn of Africa have an ancient history. Known by ancient Arabs as
the Berberi, archaeological evidence indicates their presence in the Horn of Africa by A.D. 100 and possibly earlier. As
early as the seventh century A.D., the indigenous Cushitic peoples began to mingle with Arab and Persian traders who had
settled along the coast. Interaction over the centuries led to the emergence of a Somali culture bound by common
traditions, a single language, and the Islamic faith.
The Somali-populated region of the Horn of Africa stretches from the Gulf of Tadjoura in modern-day Djibouti through
Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, and down to the coastal regions of southern Kenya. Unlike many countries in Africa, the Somali
nation extends beyond its national borders. Since gaining independence in 1960, the goal of Somali nationalism, also
known as Pan-Somalism, has been the unification of all Somali populations, forming a Greater Somalia. This issue has
been a major cause of past crises between Somalia and its neighbors--Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti.
Today, about 60% of all Somalis are nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralists who raise cattle, camels, sheep, and goats.
About 25% of the population is settled farmers who live mainly in the fertile agricultural zone between the Juba and
Shabelle Rivers in southern Somalia. The remainder of the population (15%-20%) is urban.
Sizable ethnic groups in the country include Bantu agricultural workers, several thousand Arabs and some hundreds of
Indians and Pakistanis. Nearly all inhabitants speak the Somali language. The language remained unwritten until October
1973, when the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC) proclaimed it the nation's official language and decreed an
orthography using Latin letters. Somali is now the language of instruction in schools, although Arabic, English, and
Italian also are used extensively.
HISTORY
Early history traces the development of the Somali state to an Arab sultanate, which was founded in the seventh century
A.D. by Koreishite immigrants from Yemen. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese traders landed in present
Somali territory and ruled several coastal towns. The sultan of Oman and Zanzibar subsequently took control of these
towns and their surrounding territory.
Somalia's modern history began in the late 19th century, when various European powers began to trade and establish
themselves in the area. The British East India Company's desire for unrestricted harbor facilities led to the conclusion
of treaties with the sultan of Tajura as early as 1840. It was not until 1886, however, that the British gained control
over northern Somalia through treaties with various Somali chiefs who were guaranteed British protection. British
objectives centered on safeguarding trade links to the east and securing local sources of food and provisions for its
coaling station in Aden. The boundary between Ethiopia and British Somaliland was established in 1897 through treaty
negotiations between British negotiators and King Menelik.
During the first two decades of this century, British rule was challenged through persistent attacks by a dervish
rebellion led by Mohamed Abdullah, known as the "Mad Mullah" by the British. A long series of intermittent engagements
and truces ended in 1920 when British warplanes bombed Abdullah's stronghold at Taleex. Although Abdullah was defeated
as much by rival Somali factions as by British forces, he was lauded as a popular hero and stands as a major figure of
national identity to many Somalis.
In 1885, Italy obtained commercial advantages in the area from the sultan of Zanzibar and in 1889 concluded agreements
with the sultans of Obbia and Aluula, who placed their territories under Italy's protection. Between 1897 and 1908,
Italy made agreements with the Ethiopians and the British that marked out the boundaries of Italian Somaliland. The
Italian Government assumed direct administration, giving the territory colonial status.
Italian occupation gradually extended inland. In 1924, the Jubaland Province of Kenya, including the town and port of
Kismayo, was ceded to Italy by the United Kingdom. The subjugation and occupation of the independent sultanates of Obbia
and Mijertein, begun in 1925, were completed in 1927. In the late 1920s, Italian and Somali influence expanded into the
Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia. Continuing incursions climaxed in 1935 when Italian forces launched an offensive that
led to the capture of Addis Ababa and the Italian annexation of Ethiopia in 1936.
Following Italy's declaration of war on the United Kingdom in June 1940, Italian troops overran British Somaliland and
drove out the British garrison. In 1941, British forces began operations against the Italian East African Empire and
quickly brought the greater part of Italian Somaliland under British control. From 1941 to 1950, while Somalia was under
British military administration, transition toward self-government was begun through the establishment of local courts,
planning committees, and the Protectorate Advisory Council. In 1948, Britain turned the Ogaden and neighboring Somali
territories over to Ethiopia.
In Article 23 of the 1947 peace treaty, Italy renounced all rights and titles to Italian Somaliland. In accordance with
treaty stipulations, on September 15, 1948, the Four Powers referred the question of disposal of former Italian colonies
to the UN General Assembly. On November 21, 1949, the General Assembly adopted a resolution recommending that Italian
Somaliland be placed under an international trusteeship system for 10 years, with Italy as the administering authority,
followed by independence for Italian Somaliland. In 1959, at the request of the Somali Government, the UN General
Assembly advanced the date of independence from December 2 to July 1, 1960.
Meanwhile, rapid progress toward self-government was being made in British Somaliland. Elections for the Legislative
Assembly were held in February 1960, and one of the first acts of the new legislature was to request that the United
Kingdom grant the area independence so that it could be united with Italian Somaliland when the latter became
independent. The protectorate became independent on June 26, 1960; five days later, on July 1, it joined Italian
Somaliland to form the Somali Republic.
In June 1961, Somalia adopted its first national constitution in a countrywide referendum, which provided for a
democratic state with a parliamentary form of government based on European models. During the early post-independence
period, political parties were a fluid concept, with one-person political parties forming before an election, only to
defect to the winning party following the election. A constitutional conference in Mogadishu in April 1960, which made
the system of government in the southern Somali trust territory the basis for the future government structure of the
Somali Republic, resulted in the concentration of political power in the former Italian Somalia capital of Mogadishu and
a southern-dominated central government. Most key government positions were occupied by southern Somalis, producing
increased disenchantment with the union in the former British-controlled north. Pan-Somali nationalism, with the goal of
uniting the Somali-populated regions of French Somaliland (Djibouti), Kenya, and Ethiopia into a Greater Somalia
remained the driving political ideology in the initial post-independence period. Under the leadership of Mohamed Ibrahim
Egal (prime minister from 1967 to 1969), however, Somalia renounced its claims to the Somali-populated regions of
Ethiopia and Kenya, greatly improving its relations with both countries. Egal’s move towards reconciliation with
Ethiopia, which had been a traditional enemy of Somalia since the 16th century, made many Somalis furious, including the
army. This reconciliation effort is argued to be one of the principal factors that provoked a bloodless coup on October
21, 1969 and subsequent installation of Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre as president, bringing an abrupt end to the process
of party-based constitutional democracy in Somalia.
Following the coup, executive and legislative power was vested in the 20-member Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC),
headed by Barre The SRC pursued a course of "scientific socialism" that reflected both ideological and economic
dependence on the Soviet Union. The government instituted a national security service, centralized control over
information, and initiated a number of grassroots development projects. Barre reduced political freedoms and used
military force to seize and redistribute rich farmlands in the interriverine areas of southern Somalia, relying on the
use of force and terror against the Somali population to consolidate his political power base.
The SRC became increasingly radical in foreign affairs, and in 1974, Somalia and the Soviet Union concluded a treaty of
friendship and cooperation. As early as 1972, tensions began increasing along the Somali-Ethiopian border; these
tensions heightened after the accession to power in Ethiopia in 1973 of the Mengistu Haile Mariam regime, which turned
increasingly toward the Soviet Union. In the mid-1970s, the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) began guerrilla
operations in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. Following the overthrow of the Ethiopian Emperor in 1975, Somalia invaded
Ethiopia in 1977 in a second attempt to regain the Ogaden, and the second attempt initially appeared to be in Somalia's
favor. The SNA moved quickly toward Harer, Jijiga, and Dire Dawa, the principal cities of the region. However, following
the Ethiopian revolution, the new Ethiopian Government shifted its alliance from the West to the Soviet Union. Because
of the new alliance, the Soviet Union supplied Ethiopia with 10,000-15,000 Cuban troops and Soviet military advisors
during the 1977-78 Ogaden war, shifting the advantage to Ethiopia and resulting in Somalia's defeat. In November 1977,
Barre expelled all Soviet advisers and abrogated the friendship agreement with the U.S.S.R. In March 1978, Somali forces
retreated into Somalia; however, the WSLF continued to carry out sporadic but greatly reduced guerrilla activity in the
Ogaden. Such activities also were subsequently undertaken by another dissident group, the Ogaden National Liberation
Front (ONLF).
Following the Ogaden war, desperate to find a strong external alliance to replace the Soviet Union, Somalia abandoned
its Socialist ideology and turned to the West for international support, military equipment, and economic aid. In 1978,
the United States reopened the U.S. Agency for International Development mission in Somalia. Two years later, an
agreement was concluded that gave U.S. forces access to military facilities at the port of Berbera in northwestern
Somalia. In the summer of 1982, Ethiopian forces invaded Somalia along the central border, and the United States
provided two emergency airlifts to help Somalia defend its territorial integrity. From 1982 to 1988, the United States
viewed Somalia as a partner in defense in the context of the Cold War. Somali officers of the National Armed Forces were
trained in U.S. military schools in civilian as well as military subjects.
During this time, the Barre regime violently suppressed opposition movements and ethnic groups, particularly the Isaaq
clan in the northern region, using the military and elite security forces to quash any hint of rebellion. By the 1980s,
an all-out civil war developed in Somalia. Opposition groups began to form following the end of the Ogaden war,
beginning in 1979 with a group of dissatisfied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF). In
1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre regime, the Somali National Movement (SNM), composed
mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre regime. In January
1989, the United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political
movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Mohamed Farah
"Aideed," a former political prisoner imprisoned by Barre from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other
opposition groups, including the SNM and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Ogadeen sub-clan force under Colonel
Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. In 1988, at the President's order, aircraft from the
Somali National Air Force bombed the city of Hargeisa in northwestern Somalia, the former capital of British Somaliland,
killing nearly 10,000 civilians and insurgents. The warfare in the northwest sped up the decay already evident elsewhere
in the republic. Economic crisis, brought on by the cost of anti-insurgency activities, caused further hardship as Siad
Barre and his cronies looted the national treasury.
By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre's government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread
to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in
neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan
militia. Barre's effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in
the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali
state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of
emergency as USC and SNM forces advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed opposition factions drove Barre out of
power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992,
responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and
other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to
create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual
catastrophes--one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The
United States played a major role in both operations. On October 3-4, 1993, 18 U.S. servicemen were killed in an
incident made famous by the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.” The United States continued operations until March 25,
1994, when U.S. forces withdrew.
Following the collapse of the Barre regime in 1991, various groupings of Somali factions sought to control the national
territory (or portions thereof) and fought small wars with one another. Approximately 14 national reconciliation
conferences were convened over the succeeding decade. Efforts at mediation of the Somali internal dispute were also
undertaken by many regional states. In the mid-1990s, Ethiopia played host to several Somali peace conferences and
initiated talks at the Ethiopian city of Sodere, which led to some degree of agreement between competing factions. The
Governments of Egypt, Yemen, Kenya, and Italy also have attempted to bring the Somali factions together. In 1997, the
Organization of African Unity and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) gave Ethiopia the mandate to
pursue Somali reconciliation. In 2000, Djibouti hosted a major reconciliation conference (the 13th such effort), which
in August resulted in creation of the Transitional National Government (TNG), whose 3-year mandate expired in August
2003. Kenya organized the Somalia National Reconciliation Conference, a 14th reconciliation effort, in 2002 under IGAD
auspices. The conference concluded in August 2004 with the establishment of a Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The
absence of a central government in Somalia also allowed outside forces to become more influential by supporting various
groups and persons in Somalia, particularly Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya, all of which have
supported various Somali factions and transitional governments. In July 2006, Ethiopian forces invaded Somalia in
support of the TFG in its internal conflict with Islamic Courts Union (ICU). In January 2009, Ethiopian forces
completely withdrew from Somalia.
GOVERNMENT
A transitional government, the components of which are known as the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) was formed
in 2004 following the conclusion of a 2-year reconciliation conference. The TFIs include a transitional parliament,
known as the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) (formed in August 2004), as well as a Transitional Federal Government
(TFG) that includes a transitional president, prime minister, and a cabinet known as the "Council of Ministers." For
administrative purposes, Somalia is divided into 18 regions; the nature, authority, and structure of regional
governments vary, where they exist.
Principal Government Officials
Following the December 29, 2008, resignation of former TFG President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
was elected by the TFP as President of the TFG on January 30, 2009. On February 13, 2009, President Sharif appointed
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as the new Prime Minister of the TFG and Sharmarke was confirmed by the TFP on February
14. Following a no-confidence motion against former Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden on January 17, 2007,
the TFP elected Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur “Madobe” on January 31, 2007. A cabinet known as the Council of
Ministers also exists; a new cabinet of 36 ministers was appointed on February 20, 2009, and approved by Parliament on
February 21, 2009. Prime Minister Sharmarke restructured his cabinet on August 18, 2009, appointing several new
ministers, including the ministers of foreign affairs and defense, and creating several new posts. This shake-up brought
the number of ministers to 39.
Other Ministers
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources--Abdirahman Aden Ibrahim
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance--Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden
Deputy Prime Minister of Energy and Petroleum Resources--Abdiwahid Elmi Gonjeeh
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Ali Jama Jangeli
Minister of Defense-- Abdalla “Boss” Ahmed
Minister of National Planning and International Cooperation--Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame
Minister of Constitution and Federal Affairs--Madobe Nunow Mohamed
Minister of Interior--Abdulkadir Ali Omar
Minister of Security-- Abdullahi Mohamed Ali
Ambassador to the United Nations--Elmi Ahmed Duale
Ambassador to the United States--N/A
The self-declared "Republic of Somaliland" consists of a regional authority based in the city of Hargeisa, including a
president, vice president, parliament, and cabinet officials.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
In early 2002, Kenya organized a reconciliation effort under IGAD auspices known as the Somalia National Reconciliation
Conference, which concluded in October 2004. In August 2004, the Somali TFP was established as part of the IGAD-led
process. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was elected President of the TFG of Somalia on October 10, 2004. President Yusuf resigned
on December 29, 2008, and Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was elected President of the TFG on January 30, 2009. The
components of the TFG, including the Parliament and Executive, are known as the TFIs.
Two regional administrations exist in northern Somalia--the self-declared "Republic of Somaliland" in the northwest and
the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the northeast. In Somaliland, which is made up of the former British
protectorate, President Dahir Riyale Kahin was elected in presidential elections deemed free and fair by international
observers in May 2003. The area of Puntland declared itself autonomous (although not independent) in 1998 with its
capital at Garowe. President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole was elected by the Puntland parliament in January 2009. Puntland
declared it would remain autonomous until a federated Somalia state was established.
ECONOMY
Somalia lacks natural resources and faces major development challenges. Recent economic reverses have left its people
increasingly dependent on remittances from abroad. Its economy is pastoral and agricultural, with livestock--principally
camels, cattle, sheep, and goats--representing the main form of wealth. Livestock exports in recent years have been
severely reduced by periodic bans, ostensibly for concerns of animal health, by Arabian Peninsula states. Drought has
also impaired agricultural and livestock production. Because rainfall is scanty and irregular, farming generally is
limited to certain coastal districts, areas near Hargeisa, and the Juba and Shabelle River valleys. The agricultural
sector of the economy consists mainly of banana plantations located in the south, which use modern irrigation systems
and up-to-date farm machinery.
A small fishing industry exists in the north where tuna, shark, and other warm-water fish are caught, although fishing
production is seriously affected by poaching. Aromatic woods--frankincense and myrrh--from a small and diminishing
forest also contribute to the country's exports. Minerals, including uranium and likely deposits of petroleum and
natural gas, are found throughout the country, but have not been exploited commercially. Petroleum exploration efforts
have ceased due to insecurity and instability. Illegal production in the south of charcoal for export has led to
widespread deforestation. With the help of foreign aid, small industries such as textiles, handicrafts, meat processing,
and printing are being established.
The absence of central government authority, as well as profiteering from counterfeiting, has rapidly debased Somalia's
currency. By the spring of 2002, the Somali shilling had fallen to over 30,000 shillings to the U.S. dollar. In 2006,
the official rate was marked at 1,438.30; however, the 2007 black market rate was still around 23,000 per dollar. The
self-declared Republic of Somaliland issues its own currency, the Somaliland shilling, which is not accepted outside of
the self-declared republic.
There are no railways in Somalia; internal transportation is limited to truck and bus. The national road system
nominally comprises 22,100 kilometers (13,702 mi.) of roads that include about 2,600 kilometers (1,612 mi.) of
all-weather roads, although most roads have received little maintenance for years and have seriously deteriorated.
Air transportation is provided by small air charter firms A number of airlines operate from Hargeisa. Some private
airlines, including Daallo Airlines, serve several domestic locations as well as Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates.
The UN and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operate air service for their missions.
The European Community and the World Bank jointly financed construction of a deepwater port at Mogadishu. The Soviet
Union improved Somalia's deepwater port at Berbera in 1969. Facilities at Berbera were further improved by a U.S.
military construction program completed in 1985, but they have since become dilapidated. During the 1990s the United
States renovated a deepwater port at Kismayo that serves the fertile Juba River basin and is vital to Somalia's banana
export industry. Smaller ports are located at Merca, Brava, and Bossaso. Absence of security and lack of maintenance and
improvement are major issues at most Somali ports.
Cellular phone service is readily available throughout the country, but landline communication systems have been
destroyed or dismantled. Somalia is linked to the outside world via ship-to-shore communications (INMARSAT) as well as
links to overseas satellite operators by private telecommunications operators (including cellular telephone systems) in
major towns. Radio broadcasting stations operate at Mogadishu, Hargeisa, and Galkaiyo, with programs in Somali and some
other languages. There are two television broadcast stations in Mogadishu and one in Hargeisa.
DEFENSE
The TFG controls several thousand trained army soldiers. Other various TFG-allied groups throughout Somalia are
estimated to control militias ranging in strength from hundreds to thousands. The TFG and some groups possess limited
inventories of older armored vehicles and other heavy weapons, and small arms are prevalent throughout Somalia. On
September 8, 2009, 500 naval recruits graduated to form Somalia’s first naval force in over two decades. The TFG plans
to use the force to combat piracy off Somalia’s coastline.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Somalia followed a foreign policy of nonalignment for a brief period following independence. In 1970, the Siad Barre
regime declared a national ideology based on scientific Socialism and aligned its foreign policy with the Soviet Union
and China. In the 1980s, Somalia shifted its alignment to the West following a territorial conflict with Ethiopia over
the disputed Somali-populated region of the Ogaden from 1977-78, which was supported by the Soviet Union. The central
government also sought ties with many Arab countries, and continued to receive financial and military support from
several Arab countries prior to its collapse in 1991.
In 1963, Somalia severed diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom for a period following a dispute over Kenya's
Somali-populated northeastern region (Northern Frontier District), an area inhabited mainly by Somalis. Related problems
have arisen from the boundary with Ethiopia and the large-scale migrations of Somali nomads between Ethiopia and Somalia
In the aftermath of the 1977-78 war between Somalia and Ethiopia, the Government of Somalia continued to call for
self-determination for ethnic Somalis living in the Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia. At the March 1983 Nonaligned
Movement summit in New Delhi, President Siad Barre stated that Somalia harbored no expansionist aims and was willing to
negotiate with Ethiopia over the disputed Ogaden region.
Following the collapse of the Barre regime, the foreign policy of the various entities in Somalia, including the TFG,
has centered on gaining international recognition, winning international support for national reconciliation, and
obtaining international economic assistance.
U.S.-SOMALI RELATIONS
Although the U.S. never formally severed diplomatic relations with Somalia, the U.S. Embassy in Somalia has been closed
since the collapse of the Siad Barre government in 1991. The United States maintains regular dialogue with the TFG and
other key stakeholders in Somalia through the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Consular coverage for Somalia is
maintained by U.S. Embassy Nairobi, while American Citizens Services in the self-declared Republic of Somaliland are
provided by the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador to Kenya--Michael Ranneberger
Counselor for Somali Affairs--Robert Patterson
Political Officer--Joseph Trimble
Political Officer--Chanda Creasy
Political/Economic Officer--Jessica Davis Ba
Public Affairs Officer--Mark Zimmer
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises Americans traveling and residing abroad through
Country Specific Information, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings. Country Specific Information exists for all countries and includes information on entry and exit requirements, currency regulations, health
conditions, safety and security, crime, political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates
abroad. Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions
overseas that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country because the situation
is dangerous or unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's
Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings can be found. Consular Affairs Publications, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov. For additional information on international travel, see http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S. citizens traveling or residing abroad to register via the State Department's travel registration website or at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known
in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the
U.S. and Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for callers outside the U.S. and Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public contact center for U.S. passport information.
Telephone: 1-877-4-USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778); TDD/TTY: 1-888-874-7793. Passport information is available 24 hours, 7 days
a week. You may speak with a representative Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta,
Georgia. A hotline at 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) and a web site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking
water safety for regions and countries. The CDC publication "Health Information for International Travel" can be found
at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentYellowBook.aspx.
Further Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov, the Department of State web site provides timely, global access to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background Notes and daily press briefings along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides security information and
regional news that impact U.S. companies working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and market information offered by the federal government and
provides trade leads, free export counseling, help with the export process, and more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides authoritative economic, business, and international trade
information from the Federal government. The site includes current and historical trade-related releases, international
market research, trade opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the National Trade Data Bank.
ENDS