Somali Civil War (2006–2009)

The Somali civil war (2006–2009) was an armed conflict in southern and central Somalia that pitted the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Ethiopian forces against, initially, the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), and later various militia factions. The period is defined by two key dates: the entry of Ethiopian forces in December 2006 and their withdrawal in January 2009, coinciding with the election of a new president.

The conflict was not a conventional interstate war. It involved an internal struggle over the control of Mogadishu, Ethiopian security concerns about Islamist groups near its borders, and an international counterterrorism agenda supporting the TFG. The UIC was defeated rapidly, but the conflict spawned a prolonged urban insurgency that expanded Al-Shabaab's power.

Background

In 2006, the UIC—a coalition of Islamic courts based in Mogadishu—defeated the transitional authority controlling the capital and extended its control over parts of the south. The TFG, established through a Kenyan process in 2004 and based in Baidoa, had limited military capacity. European and African analysts writing at the time warned that Ethiopian military intervention could escalate conflict rather than stabilize it.

Ethiopian intervention and the change in Mogadishu

In December 2006, Ethiopian forces working with the TFG launched major operations against UIC positions. The UIC withdrew from Mogadishu that same month, and the TFG entered the capital in early 2007. Congressional reports assessed that military success was not followed by a comprehensive political settlement, worsening the security situation.

AMISOM, insurgency, and civilian impact

On 20 February 2007, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1744 authorizing the African Union to establish AMISOM for an initial six-month period. Around the same time, fighting broke out in Mogadishu between Ethiopian/TFG forces and opposition groups. The March–April 2007 fighting displaced close to 400,000 people, according to UN and human rights organizations. In February–March 2008, the United States designated Al-Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization.

The Djibouti Agreement and the end of the phase

In June 2008, the TFG and the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (ARS)—formed from UIC members in 2007—agreed in Djibouti on a ceasefire, Ethiopian withdrawal, and the deployment of UN peacekeepers. Factions within the ARS and Al-Shabaab rejected the agreement, and fighting continued. Ethiopian forces completed their withdrawal in January 2009. An expanded parliament meeting in Djibouti elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as president on 30 January 2009; he appointed Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as prime minister in February 2009.