Program Details: Somalia

Rehabilitating schools is part of Mercy Corps' work in southern Somalia. Photo: Abdikadir Mohamed/Mercy Corps

History and Overview
Humans have inhabited the boomerang-shaped rim along the Horn of Africa known today as Somalia for the last 2,500 years. From the first century, people used their ocean access to trade with Greek and Roman sailors. After rule by various kingdoms and city-states, Egypt, Italy, England and France colonized different parts of the region beginning in the late 1800s.

The Italians wrested control of British Somaliland in 1940, but lost it during an Allied offensive two years later. After World War II, parts of Somalia remained under the rule of Britain, and later Ethiopia and Italy, until it won independence — without bloodshed — in 1960.

Modern-day Somalia is made up of a diverse collection of clans, not all of whom get along. Intertribal rivalry led to the military rule of General Mohamed Siad Barre in 1969. Over the years several tribes have claimed they were forced into Somalia, while most governments have claimed the Ogaden region of Ethiopia as its own — and fought unsuccessfully to regain the territory in 1977-78.

Since the collapse of President Siad Barre's government in 1991, Somalia has been seen as the quintessential "failed state." The country has struggled to establish a stable government, maintain law and order, and improve the difficult living conditions most of its inhabitants endure. Economic growth is anemic outside the country's surprisingly strong service sector in urban areas. Infrastructure has been decimated. Only about one in 10 Somali children attend school.

What is labeled "Somalia" on today's world map is actually composed of three relatively autonomous regions:

• Somaliland, a former British colony in the northwest of Somalia, has declared that it considers itself distinct from the rest of Somalia. The region has its own system of governance and is seeking recognition from the international community as an independent nation.
• Puntland, in the northeast of the country, has also established its own political system, though it considers itself part of a federated Somalia and its elected leader serves as part of the country's Transitional Federal Government.
• Then there's the rest of Somalia, the south and south-central parts of the country. It is this area where competing clans struggle for control, where kids only dream of attending school, where infrastructure is crumbling from 15 years of war and neglect.

Photo: Zoe Daniels/Mercy Corps

Recovering from the Indian Ocean Tsunami
Somalia has the longest coastal shoreline in Africa, and access to the sea has provided sustainable livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of Somalis. After the tsunami, fishing yields declined substantially for the fishermen of Bender Bayla, a coastal town of 6,000 in Puntland. Since initial recovery efforts began in 2005, Mercy Corps has helped the community make the most of their harvest: we're providing fishing gears, constructing a slaughterhouse, rebuilding washed-out roads that connect to inland markets and building the capacity of the local fishing association.

Mitigating Conflict, Promoting Sustainable Development
Mercy Corps is promoting reconciliation and responsive dialogue in Northern Somalia thanks largely to a grant from USAID. We work through four local women's associations to help give Somalis the skills to resolve conflicts and to clean up their environment. Two Peace Committees have helped two neighboring communities resolve cross-border disputes and provided negotiation and conflict mediation services in the region — reducing the incidence of violent conflict. Environmental initiatives such as rehabilitating garbage pits, planting tree nurseries and launching a "reduce, reuse and recycle" awareness campaign promote sustainable development.

Community Building in Southern Somalia
In three districts of southern Somalia, a major Mercy Corps "cash-for-work" program is giving people the opportunity to earn money; helping communities build and repair infrastructure; and teaching local groups to set priorities, make plans, and implement projects in the absence of strong government support. Recently, our projects have rehabilitated more than a half-mile of river embankments, cleared and improved 19 miles of key roads, and paid $20,000 in local wages through the construction of four wells that provide clean drinking water to more than 2,000 households.

Last updated: November 2007