Title: Ethiopia’s Intervention in Somalia, 2006-2009
Author: Braden Civins
Affiliation: University of Texas
Issue: Volume 2, Issue 2 (Fall/Winter 2010)
Publisher: Yonsei University Press
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This analysis attempts to address the negative effects of Ethiopian military intervention on Somali civilians from late 2006 to early 2009. In order to gauge the effect of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU)’s governance on the humanitarian situation in Somalia, it is necessary to thoroughly examine and compare the number of civilian displacements, casualties and deaths caused by the military conflict and other factors (e.g. famine and flood) that occurred before and during the ICU’s brief reign. To determine the immediate effects of Ethiopia’s military intervention, this analysis examines statistical data regarding the rates of internal displacement, emigration and civilian deaths. The analysis also considers firsthand accounts provided by Somali civilians in determining the role of intervention-related violence in driving displacement and casualty trends. In many instances, the numbers of civilian casualties and displacements also reflect the nature of the combat tactics employed by all sides of the conflict; these tactics are examined through civilian accounts, NGO reports and UN documentation to determine the extent to which the combative parties either intentionally or recklessly inflicted suffering upon the Somali populace. Finally, comparing the humanitarian situation in Somali in the period immediately following the Ethiopian National Defense Force’s withdrawal to conditions that existed immed im immediately prior to the invasion provides evidence as to the net effect of Ethiopia’s intervention.
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