British Somaliland, to the north, gained independent on 26 June 1960, and the former Italian Somaliland followed suit five days later. On 1 July 1960, the two territories united to form the Somali Republic. A government was formed with Aden Abdullah Osman Daar as President, and Abdirashid Ali Shermarke as Prime Minister, later to become President (from 1967-1969). On 20 July 1961 and through a popular referendum, the Somali people ratified a new constitution.

In 1969, following the assassination of President Shermarke, a military government assumed power in a coup d’etat. General Siad Barre became the president and was to rule Somalia until 1991, when he was ousted by combined northern and southern clan-based forces.

As a violent power struggle developed between two warring clan lords, Mohamed Farah Aideed and Ali Mahdi Mohamed, the former British Somaliland, comprising the northwestern section of the country, between Djibouti and the northeastern area known as Puntland, declared its independence. However, its sovereignty is not recognized by any nation or international organization.

Barre and his armed supporters remained in the south of the country until mid 1992, causing further instability. Meanwhile, the fighting in Mogadishu devastated the city. All this disrupted agriculture and food distribution in southern Somalia, causing a famine and the deaths of up to 300,000 people. The UN responded by authorising a limited peacekeeping operation, United Nations Operation in Somalia I (UNOSOM I). UNOSOM’s use of force was however limited to self-defence and it was soon disregarded by the warring factions.

Faced with an impending humanitarian catastrophe, the United States organised a military coalition with the purpose of creating a secure environment in southern Somalia for the conduct of humanitarian operations. This coalition (Unified Task Force or UNITAF) entered Somalia in December 1992, launching Operation Restore Hope, which was successful in restoring order and alleviating the famine. In May 1993, most of the United States troops withdrew and UNITAF was replaced by the United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II).

Aidid, though, saw UNOSOM II as a threat to his power, and his militia attacked UNOSOM troops. Fighting escalated until 19 American troops and more than 1,000 Somalis were killed in a raid in Mogadishu during October 1993. The UN withdrew in March 1995, having suffered significant casualties, and with the rule of government still not restored. In August 1996, Aidid was killed in Mogadishu.

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Republic of Somalia is the most recent attempt to restore national institutions to Somalia. Established in 2004 and internationally recognized, its support in Somalia was waning until the United States-backed 2006 intervention by the Ethiopian military, which helped drive out the rival Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Mogadishu and solidify the TFG’s rule. Following this defeat, the ICU splintered into several different factions. Some of the more radical elements, including Al-Shabaab, regrouped to continue their insurgency against the TFG and the Ethiopian military’s presence in Somalia.

In February 2007, the United Nations Security Council authorised the African Union to deploy a peacekeeping mission in support of Somalia’s Transitory Federal Institutions (TFIs).

The Security Council authorized the Member States of the African Union to maintain the deployment of AMISOM, as set out in paragraph 1 of resolution 2093 (2013) until 30 November 2015. AMISOM continues to support the FGS’ commitment to a credible electoral process in 2016 and is actively working closely with the FGS and SNA to bring peace and stability to the nation.