Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its
protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of
Federal Republic of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed Siad Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule characterized by the
persecution, jailing, and torture of political opponents and dissidents.
After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into
turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May 1991, northern clans
declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the
administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and
Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has
maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a
constitutional democracy, including holding municipal, parliamentary,
and presidential elections. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern
Mudug comprise a neighboring semi-autonomous state of Puntland, which
has been self-governing since 1998 but does not aim at independence; it
has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative
government but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its
border with Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and
Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily
in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN
withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still
had not been restored. In 2000, the Somalia National Peace Conference
(SNPC) held in Djibouti resulted in the formation of an interim
government, known as the Transitional National Government (TNG). When
the TNG failed to establish adequate security or governing institutions,
the Government of Kenya, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD), led a subsequent peace process that
concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as
President of a second interim government, known as the Transitional
Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic. The TFG included a
275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal
Parliament (TFP). President Yusuf resigned late in 2008 while United
Nations-sponsored talks between the TFG and the opposition Alliance for
the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) were underway in Djibouti. In January
2009, following the creation of a TFG-ARS unity government, Ethiopian
military forces, which had entered Somalia in December 2006 to support
the TFG in the face of advances by the opposition Islamic Courts Union
(ICU), withdrew from the country. The TFP was doubled in size to 550
seats with the addition of 200 ARS and 75 civil society members of
parliament. The expanded parliament elected Sheikh SHARIF Sheikh Ahmed,
the former ICU and ARS chairman as president in January 2009. The
creation of the TFG was based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC),
which outlined a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a
new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government
following national elections. In 2009, the TFP amended the TFC to extend
TFG's mandate until 2011 and in 2011 Somali principals agreed to
institute political transition by August 2012. The transition process
ended in September 2012 when clan elders replaced the TFP by appointing
275 members to a new parliament who subsequently elected a new
president.