Ethiopia vs. Somalia
By Destinee Gray
 Who?
 Ethiopia and Somalia
 What?
 The Ogaden War was a conventional conflict
between Somalia and Ethiopia over the
Ogaden region of Ethiopia.
 When?
 1977 and 1988
 Where?
 Ogaden region of Ethiopia
 Why?
 The fighting erupted as Somalia sought to
exploit (to make full use of) a temporary
shift in the regional balance of power in
their favor to occupy the Ogaden region,
claimed to be part of the greater Somalia.
 During the “Scramble For Africa” (a process
of invasion, occupation, colonization, and
annexation of African territory by European
powers during the New Imperialism period
[1881-1914]), the lands inhabited by the
Somali people were divided between the
relevant powers:
 Italy – Southern Somalia
 Great Britain – Northern Somalia along
the Gulf of Aden
 Ethiopia has gained the respect of the
European powers with its decisive victory
at the Battle of Adwa and received the
Ogaden region (part of Somalia) by treaty.
 Upon Somali’s independence in 1960,
British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland
united under one flag. By the beginning
of the war, the Somali National Army (SNA)
was only 35,000 men-strong, vastly
outnumbered by the Ethiopian forces.
 The United States did not want to sever
(break up) relations with Somalia because
of the Soviet threat and strategic
importance of Africa’s Horn region. As a
result, the United States promised financial
and military aid to Somalia. However, the
Soviet-led Eastern bloc also offered a
similar deal in pursuit of its geographic
advantages, thus making Somalia a prize
during the Cold War.
 The Soviet Union ultimately offered
what Somalia wanted most: more
military hardware [through the
Russian Military Aid Agreement of
1963] to protect the Somali
population in Ethiopia.
 Throughout the 1970s, Somalia was
the recipient of large amounts of
Soviet military force of Ethiopia and
had a larger air force.
 Somalia received sufficient amounts
of weapons from the Soviet Union.
Such weapons are:
 MiG-21 [jet fighters]
 T-54 [tanks]
 SAM-2 [missiles]
 In 1965, General Siad Barre came to
power in Somali and established a
military government. The government
pursued a path of non-capitalist
development: Marxism (the political and
economic theory of Karl Marx and
Friedrich Engels that later developed as
the basis for communism).
 United States influence in Somalia
apparently ended as Somalia and the
Soviet Union signed a prestigious treaty
of friendship that soon grew to an
alliance.
General Siad Barre
 Somalia gained military strength while Ethiopia grew weaker. In September
1974, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown by the Derg (the
military council of Ethiopia) in favor of the Marxist pro-Soviet group.
 This gave the Soviet Union the opportunity to become close to the Ethiopians
in order to further undermine United States influence and gain control over
the Horn. Their aim was to use their friendship with both Ethiopia and
Somalia to reconcile them to make a communist country.
 General Barre mounted an incursion (a
sudden and brief invasion) into
Ethiopia to take the Ogaden region.
 The Soviets, however, also made an
alliance with Ethiopia and backed them
in the Ogaden War against Somalia.
 The Soviet Union, finding itself
supplying both sides of a war,
attempted to mediate a ceasefire
(truce). When their efforts failed, the
Soviets abandoned Somalia and Barre
renounced the Somali alliance with the
Soviet Union.
 All aid to General Barre’s regime was halted while arms shipments to Ethiopia
increased.
 The Soviet Union supplied Ethiopia with 15,000 Cuban combat troops as well.
Other communist countries offered assistance to Ethiopia.
What does Somalia do now?
What just happened?
 General Barre turned to the United
 The Soviet Union switched from
States for friendship.
 The United States accepted an
alliance with Somalia.
supplying aid to Somalia to
supporting Ethiopia, which had
previously been backed up by the
United States.
 This prompted the United States to
start supporting Somalia.
Still confused?
There you go. . .
THEY
SWITCHED
SIDES!
Who won?
Casualties
 The Cuban troops contributed much
 Killed:
to Somali’s many victories, but in
the end, Somali forces retreated
back across the border and a truce
was declared.
 So. . . No one won. 
 12,700+
 Missing/Captured:
 4,100+
 Wounded:
 12,900+
 http://www.war-memorial.net/Ethiopia-vs-Somalia-3.160
 http://usforeignpolicy.about.com/od/newsissues/a/Somalia-Remains-Foreign-Policy-
Obstacle-After-20-Years.htm
 http://www.raceandhistory.com/cgibin/forum/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/115
 http://horseedmedia.net/wpcontent/uploads/2010/10/US_STRATEGIC_INTEREST_IN_SOMALIA.pdf