Somali Population 2/9/2016
To: Mr. Keck
From: Noah Diamond p.3
Objective: The objective of this project is to analyze the change in the population of Somalia from 1950 to 2016 by numerically and graphically determining the derivative of the data. In addition, this project will direct an investigation into the events that caused the population of Somalia toexpand or decline at unusual rates.
Data:
Source:
Analysis:Historical analysis of data (Source:
1978-1980: Immigration into Somalia - In 1977, Somalia fought Ethiopia in the Ogaden War. The disputed concluded with the defeat of Somali troops in 1978. At the beginning of the war there was a massive influx of ethnic Somalis and Oromos into the northern border regions of Somalia. By 1979 there were officially 1.3 million refugees in the country. This immigration of refugees can be seen in to graphs above as the massive population increase from 1978 to 1980.
1982: Ethiopian–Somali Border War – This waroccurred between June and August 1982. In resistance to theSiad Barreregime,the Somali National Movement (SNM) formed and drew support from the Isaaq clan. These Somali rebels with the aid of the Ethiopian military invaded centralSomaliaand captured several border towns. This conflict threatened to split the country in two and set-up the country for Civil War. During the war many Somalis living on the outer edge of Somalia fled the country and many others were killed in the conflict. This small population decline can be seen in the graphs above between 1980 and 1982.
1988: Thebeginnings of the Somali Civil War– By 1988, The SNM insurgency escalated into a full-scale civil war. The rebels attacked government garrisons in Burco and Hargeisa. The government responded with a ferocious assault on the Isaaq clan, killing some 50,000 people and forcing 650,000 to flee to Ethiopia and Djibouti. This large decline in population can be seen in the data above between 1988 and 1990.
1991-1993: Burbur (‘catastrophe’): Clan based warfare followed the overthrow of the Siad Barreregime. Four months of fighting in Mogadishu alone in 1991 and 1992 killed an estimated 25,000 people, 1.5 million people fled the country, and at least 2 million were internally displaced.This continued decline in population following the fall of the Siad Barre regime can be seen in the data above between 1991 and 1993.
1992: Humanitarian Aid: U.S. and U.N. troops were sent to help settle the conflict in Somalia. However, the Somalians fought back, killing many Army Rangers and shooting down several helicopters (“Black Hawk Down”). U.S. forces left the country in 1994. This aid can be seen in the data above as the population of Somalia begins to grow and decline with less magnitude.
1993-2012:Fighting has continued throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century, but in 2012 an internationally-backed government was installed. Somalia has been inching towards stability, but the new authorities still face a challenge from Al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Shabab insurgents.