The role of the Soviet Union in the Somali conflict - Ethiopia's Ogaden region about 1977 - 1978

Ammar Fadhil Hamzah, Dr.

	The role of the Soviet Union in the Somali conflict - Ethiopia's Ogaden region about 1977 - 1978
Journal of The Thi Qar Arts
Article 1, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 196-215
Author
dr. ammar fadhil hamzah
Abstract
She Investigation and sections of this study, factors and causes of conflict in Somalia - Ethiopia on Ogaden region, has also offered its roots social and political developments of historical until it erupted in a violent and unprecedented between 1977 - 1978, and then the causes and factors of the situation USSR and its dimensions and its objectives, and in fact such a conflict, a clash between binational different, In contrast to other African countries adhered to both Ethiopia and Somalia, the roots of nationalism extends to the pre-independence, nationalism Ethiopian originated political nature derived the idea of myth (Ethiopian Empire), the oldest nations independence in the continent, while adopted the Somali nationalist on the idea (homogeneity Somali people). Has sparked Somalia the fire of controversy due to conflicting administrative boundaries drawn by colonization with the ambitions of nationalism, The people of Somalia from the perspective of his Muslim people has its own language and character of ancient, and enjoy the sense of a traditional independence, the total adult population of four million people, lived a million Somalis outside Somalia's borders official, and therefore had to be a way to end this abnormal situation, not military action is available to achieve the unity of the Somali people and the restoration (land lost), a slogan that as long as the argument raised by successive Somali leaders. Although it lacked the Somalia of the structures essential in the field of communication that help to achieve national integration, and where many tribal differences which impacted negatively on the national unity and caused the failure to achieve, and perhaps the problem of Somalia is key is that the Somali nationalist did not evolve to forms of political help to build (the nation - state) in a modern way. In contrast, the National Project of Ethiopia has not been adopted, as in Somalia on the basis of cultural and ethnic lines, but the unity of the soil, and on the early development of the state, as is the case in farming communities that settled on the sources of permanent water throughout history, the population of the Ethiopian plateau managed throughout history to develop their personality and cultural consolidation written language and traditions of the aristocracy and the ownership of, and in addition to that, the struggle of Ethiopia to maintain the sovereignty and territorial integrity During the years of Italian occupation in the thirties of the last century, and during the Second World War 1939 - 1945, contributed to the emergence of a strong association of national politics. In the end, the legal dispute about the limits approved by the colonists has always hung without a decisive answer, this conflict has been the source of the composite friction and collisions along the border between them since 1960 to develop into a war between the two countries in 1977 as we have seen in advance. The conflict was a major factor that led to the entry of the Soviet Union strongly to the Horn of Africa, as it took advantage of the Soviet Union's ambitions Somalia nationalism, and adopted by the military he established throughout the sixties and seventies and presence large in Somalia is unsurpassed, but his presence in Egypt, and when reversed relations of Ethiopia - U.S. after 1974, the Soviet Union tried to use the conflict to induce the other party as well, and helped him in that direction socialist ruling of the Administrative Council of Ethiopia (Alderg), and the clear position of the Organization of African Unity, the need to respect the borders existing in Africa. It is worth mentioning that it can be said that the most important immediate factors of the conflict in the Horn of Africa who have not experienced the continent ever seen him in the past is the flow of weapons the Soviet on this continent which has been over the previous period less the continents armed, but in the seventies became the African countries receive about half of the weapons sent by the Soviet Union to third world countries, and no matter what dimensions of the dispute Somali - Ethiopia on Ogaden region, the transformation that the political problem into a war raging and bloody conflict between the two countries but signed its consequences on the Soviet Union, which has been supplying Somalia with arms until he became its most powerful Air Force in the African continent in order to create a powerful force able to intervene on his behalf in the event of undesirable developments in Ethiopia because of the volatile internal situation in this country. And when he led the internal developments of Ethiopia to a change of a positive political leadership in favor of the Soviet Union as a policy of rapprochement with the socialist camp pursued by Alderg ruling, reviewed the Soviet leadership accounts in the region and found that Ethiopia represents a new front with the weight of a special political and strategic situation is distinct, and that the rule of Soviet in Berbera will be useless if the United States had the intention and determination to establish a new balance of power in the Indian Ocean region, as the Soviet Union realized that the design of Somalia to wage war Ogaden Saalb by all African countries that promised to be a sacred territorial boundaries can not be undermined. Not confronted the Soviet intervention - Cuban is no objection, for the first time the Soviet Union sent a number of officers including two generals to participate in the planning and conduct of the war, as was the first time that the Soviets in which the Soviets a huge military operation outside Europe East is that they face a major power other militarily, does not mean that military intervention was not risky, as the Soviet Union has devoted fifteen years to build a loyal to him in Somalia, and have chosen to support Ethiopia was showing all of these gains for the loss which has occurred, It is also Bmsandth Ethiopian regime had risked in a row that the system becomes unstable and unpopular and unable to manage the war and unable to unite the nation. As a result, achieved a Soviet superiority and victory over the United States, which has stood the position of the neutral of the Somali conflict - Ethiopia, Vosept Somalia very disappointed, as the Somali government believes that the break with the Soviet Union, will make the West are quick to support, but the United States were not in a position help from the state is preparing to violate one semi-sacred principles of the Organization of African Unity, as it has not taken a firm position in condemning Somalia in response to the position of Ethiopia and Artmaúha in the arms of the Soviets. The remaining final word for the role of Cuban can not be isolated this role for strategic plans Soviet, and can not in any way to say that Cuba was acting according to degree of autonomy, as there was an urgent need to speed the transfer of military forces to the field in support of Ethiopia, according to the rules conflict management in the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, it was not appropriate to transport Soviet troops or any other forces from Eastern European countries are members of the Warsaw Pact, and so provide in Cuba, the characteristics and features unified leadership of the Soviet chosen to play a role to maintain its interests in the Horn of Africa , it is from the viewpoint of the Soviet Union is a small country can not claim to have ambitions of expansion in any part of the world, and Cuba itself is seeking more than others to provide such assistance, which is an accurate translation to the position of leaders of third world countries, and their position on the control of the U.S. the world after the experience of Cuba with the planned colonial American, and more importantly, that the Cuban troops were to play its part on the basis of a formal request from the Government of the legitimacy of the list in an independent state is Ethiopia, which is an extension of the role of Cuba in Africa since 1959 in the ranks of the African liberation movements, a role that did not criticize the United States in the past.

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