I am singaporean Help Me with a Somalia project!

[James Dahl]

The thing is there was not one big civil war going back to 1992, but two.

The first civil war was the war between the clans, that started actually in 1986, not 1992, and ended with a comprehensive ceasefire in 2000, ending 14 years of war.

There was a time of relative peace between 2000 and 2005, where the (by now hundreds) of warlords ruled their fiefdoms scattered across the country as a feudal lord. They put up roadblocks to collect tolls from roads they controlled, taxed the citizenry, and essentially lived as robber barons. While it was peaceful, it was probably the worst time to be a civilian in modern Somali history.

The SECOND civil war, the one we are currently experiencing, had an entirely different origin than the first.

The second civil war began in 2005 when the Ethiopian-created Transitional Federal Government (made up of Ethiopia-friendly warlords) was installed in Baidoa and Qansax Dheere via military invasion. At the same time, the United States of America wanted to catch terror suspects who might be hiding out in Mogadishu, so they sponsored (via Ethiopia) a group of warlords who would use their militias to round up people on terror watch lists and send them off to black sites in Ethiopia to do god knows what to the poor guys. This alliance was the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorist (ARPCT). The local religious establishment and business community in Mogadishu had become sick and tired of the warlords and their bullshit and had largely taken matters into their own hands, forming their own militias to carve out an area of the city that was warlord-free and ruled by Shariah law. When they found out what the ARPCT was doing, they declared war on the ARPCT and in a year of bloody fighting shattered the power of the warlord militias and drove them from Mogadishu in 2006.

Mogadishu had not been unified under a single authority, or been free from warlords or blockades, since 1992. For the first time in 23 years, Mogadishu had law and order. The islamic authorities and businessmen dubbed their alliance the Union of Islamic Courts and within a few months launched a campaign to drive the warlords from the rest of the country. They succeeded in doing so, every warlord in southern Somalia was driven from the country, but the warlords were mostly allied with Ethiopia and aligned with the Transitional Government. Eventually, the TFG and the UIC ended up in a state of war, so Ethiopia, in order to rescue their creature the TFG, invaded Somalia and destroyed the UIC. Ethiopia re-installed the warlords throughout the country, which is one reason why the gains by the TFG ceased to have much permanence.

Most of the UIC leaders left the country, except for the hard core of the UIC's military forces, the Young Mujahideen Movement (Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen) who vowed to remain behind and defeat Ethiopia, which they did in 2008. They have now reconquered the majority of the country, save for a small portion of Mogadishu that remains in the hands of the government.

The TFG, despite being handed control of virtually the entire country on a silver platter by Ethiopia, has been plagued by infighting. It has gone through 2 presidents and 5 prime ministers, hundreds of MPs have resigned and been replaced, it even merged with one of the small, liberal factions that made up the original UIC (from which the current president was a part). Ethiopia gave the TFG control of most of the country, and today they control only a small part of Mogadishu.

[Singapore]

The thing is there was not one big civil war going back to 1992, but two.

The first civil war was the war between the clans, that started actually in 1986, not 1992, and ended with a comprehensive ceasefire in 2000, ending 14 years of war.

There was a time of relative peace between 2000 and 2005, where the (by now hundreds) of warlords ruled their fiefdoms scattered across the country as a feudal lord. They put up roadblocks to collect tolls from roads they controlled, taxed the citizenry, and essentially lived as robber barons. While it was peaceful, it was probably the worst time to be a civilian in modern Somali history.

The SECOND civil war, the one we are currently experiencing, had an entirely different origin than the first.

The second civil war began in 2005 when the Ethiopian-created Transitional Federal Government (made up of Ethiopia-friendly warlords) was installed in Baidoa and Qansax Dheere via military invasion. At the same time, the United States of America wanted to catch terror suspects who might be hiding out in Mogadishu, so they sponsored (via Ethiopia) a group of warlords who would use their militias to round up people on terror watch lists and send them off to black sites in Ethiopia to do god knows what to the poor guys. This alliance was the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorist (ARPCT). The local religious establishment and business community in Mogadishu had become sick and tired of the warlords and their bullshit and had largely taken matters into their own hands, forming their own militias to carve out an area of the city that was warlord-free and ruled by Shariah law. When they found out what the ARPCT was doing, they declared war on the ARPCT and in a year of bloody fighting shattered the power of the warlord militias and drove them from Mogadishu in 2006.

Mogadishu had not been unified under a single authority, or been free from warlords or blockades, since 1992. For the first time in 23 years, Mogadishu had law and order. The islamic authorities and businessmen dubbed their alliance the Union of Islamic Courts and within a few months launched a campaign to drive the warlords from the rest of the country. They succeeded in doing so, every warlord in southern Somalia was driven from the country, but the warlords were mostly allied with Ethiopia and aligned with the Transitional Government. Eventually, the TFG and the UIC ended up in a state of war, so Ethiopia, in order to rescue their creature the TFG, invaded Somalia and destroyed the UIC.

Most of the UIC leaders left the country, except for the hard core of the UIC's military forces, the Young Mujahideen Movement (Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen) who vowed to remain behind and defeat Ethiopia, which they did in 2008. They have now reconquered the majority of the country, save for a small portion of Mogadishu that remains in the hands of the government.

The TFG, despite being handed control of virtually the entire country on a silver platter by Ethiopia, has been plagued by infighting. It has gone through 2 presidents and 5 prime ministers, hundreds of MPs have resigned and been replaced, it even merged with one of the small, liberal factions that made up the original UIC (from which the current president was a part). Ethiopia gave the TFG control of most of the country, and today they control only a small part of Mogadishu.

The somalis actally got peace, but the reatarded bush government destroyed it and now we have fanatical terrorists?

[James Dahl]

The fanatical terrorists are Somalia's only hope. That's the irony.
They are the only group strong enough to unify the country, and they are anti-clan so they are resistant to clan based divisions.

[haxxor]

Yes. We're actually trying to put on blame on anyone else. But we should stop trying to blame each others and actually do the work instead of blaming each others.

Al-Shabab was actually good group in 2006 or so, but it had changed and turned into a group that is destained to kill anyone who comes in their path. They are bunch of hypocrites who use the name of Islam.

[Singapore]

The fanatical terrorists are Somalia's only hope. That's the irony.
They are the only group strong enough to unify the country, and they are anti-clan so they are resistant to clan based divisions.

7000 armed ignorant poor middel age crazy teen boys is the countries only hope?

[eyes-only]

If the least educated is leading you then I can understand why the country has gone down.


But when your are old you can not do anything for you country and people? what if somalia is peaceful in 20 years?

I wouldn't be going there to do something for the country....I'd be going there for the sun, sea and sand.

If it's peaceful in 20 years it would be fantastic because I still have relatives there but I don't see myself putting my heart and soul into that place in the next 50years. It will take 50 to 100years for Somalia to become the type of country I would be proud to call my home.

[James Dahl]

The fanatical terrorists are Somalia's only hope. That's the irony.
They are the only group strong enough to unify the country, and they are anti-clan so they are resistant to clan based divisions.

7000 armed ignorant poor middel age crazy teen boys is the countries only hope?

Afraid so, yeah.

[Yoousef]

The somalis actally got peace, but the reatarded bush government destroyed it and now we have fanatical terrorists?

I KNEW IT YOUR A TROLL. YOU SAID WE.

YOUR NOT FROM SINGAPORE, YOUR A LIER.

DON'T LISTEN TO HIM

[James Dahl]

The somalis actally got peace, but the reatarded bush government destroyed it and now we have fanatical terrorists?

I KNEW IT YOUR A TROLL. YOU SAID WE.

YOUR NOT FROM SINGAPORE, YOUR A LIER.

DON'T LISTEN TO HIM

This is the other thing, if you hang around here people will generally refuse to believe you are not Somalia and that you are a Hawiye/Darood/Isaaq bent on propagandizing.
Often they will even tell you who you are an alternate nickname of.

[LiquidHYDROGEN]

James dahl, how are al-shabaab the strongest entity in somalia, are you insinuating they're stronger than the somaliland army?

[James Dahl]

James dahl, how are al-shabaab the strongest group in somalia, are you insinuating they're stronger than the somaliland army?

Are you saying Somaliland is part of Somalia?

And yes, al-Shabaab is stronger than Somaliland's armed forces.

[Voltage]

Are you saying Somaliland is part of Somalia?

And yes, al-Shabaab is stronger than Somaliland's armed forces.

[LiquidHYDROGEN]

James dahl, how are al-shabaab the strongest group in somalia, are you insinuating they're stronger than the somaliland army?

Are you saying Somaliland is part of Somalia?

And yes, al-Shabaab is stronger than Somaliland's armed forces.

Of course it is since we aren't internationally recognised yet.

As for alshabaab being stronger than JSL army, you've got to be kidding me. In terms of morale JSL is stronger (can't think of any young man who wouldn't die for S/L), in terms of weapons JSL is stronger, in terms of man-power JSL is stronger and we also have better generals.

You're comparing mooryaan militia to a national army with discipline.

[grandpakhalif]

Why do these people always seek the white man's approval? No means no.

[James Dahl]

James dahl, how are al-shabaab the strongest group in somalia, are you insinuating they're stronger than the somaliland army?

Are you saying Somaliland is part of Somalia?

And yes, al-Shabaab is stronger than Somaliland's armed forces.

Of course it is since we aren't internationally recognised yet.

As for alshabaab being stronger than JSL army, you've got to be kidding me. In terms of morale JSL is stronger (can't think of any young man who wouldn't die for S/L), in terms of weapons JSL is stronger, in terms of man-power JSL is stronger and we also have better generals.

You're comparing mooryaan militia to a national army with discipline.

It's nice to see you've got so much confidence in Somaliland's armed forces, hopefully it won't be necessary to test out your theory.