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Wearing traditional headdress, Somali troops parade through
the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia. Old
tribal and religious hatreds dating back hundreds of years
continue to plague this vital area of the world.
the century, Britain, France and Italy all secured foot–
holds in the Horn of Africa to guard their strategic
interests. Later, during World War 1, Germany and its
Turkish allies attempted to do the same but failed.
After a Century of Turmoil
Eventually, fi rst l taly, then Britain, and fi nal ly France
gave up thei r colonial outposts, creating the nations of
Somalia, and Djibouti, in addition to Ethiopia, which
was already an independent nation.
Because of the way the borders were drawn in this
area (as in much of Africa), many Somalis wound up
November/ December 1982
living in Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. The desire to
unite all Somalis under one flag has been a major source
of contention in the region. This was the excuse used by
Italy under Mussolini to justify its invasion of Ethiopia
in 1935.
Resurrecting old claims, in 1977 Somali troops
attempted to wrest control of the largely Somali popu–
lated Ogaden desert region from Ethiopia. At that
moment Ethiopia was troubled by Eritrean nationalists
in its northeastern province and by governmental insta–
bility following the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selas–
sie in 1974. In 1980, however, the Ethiopians, backed
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