Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012
Belgian and Italian troops in Somalia, 1993: the abuse cases
In 1997, four years after the UN-backed missions, photographs published in Belgium and Italy showed soldiers of both countries abusing Somalis in 1993. In Belgium two paratroopers photographed holding a Somali boy over a fire were acquitted by a military court on 30 June 1997, which called it a 'playful game'; prosecutors had asked for a month in jail. In Italy two generals who led the 1993 contingent asked to be relieved of their commands, and a government commission found 'isolated cases of torture and racism' but no role for top commanders.
In short
Canada, Belgium and Italy all faced scandals over how their soldiers had treated Somalis during the UN-backed missions of 1992–1994. The Canadian case is covered in The Somalia affair, and the missions in The UN intervention, 1992 to 1995. This page records the Belgian and Italian cases as the sources report them. Individual soldiers who were not public figures are not named here.
Belgium: the paratroopers in Kismayo
Belgium's paratroopers served around Kismayo (see The UN intervention). In April 1997 the Brussels daily Het Laatste Nieuws published photographs given to it by a former paratrooper, among them soldiers holding a Somali over a fire and a paratrooper urinating on a dead Somali. Two paratroopers were arrested and charged with assault and battery. Defence Minister Jean-Pol Poncelet said: "We will prosecute this without mercy. Such people do not belong in the army." The military auditor, General Jean-Yves Minne, said the most serious allegation concerned a Somali accused of theft who was reportedly locked in a container without water for two days and found dead (The Irish Times, 17 April 1997).
On 30 June 1997 a military court acquitted the two paratroopers charged over the fire photograph, finding that the incident was a "playful game meant to discourage the child from stealing". Prosecutors had asked for a month in jail for each (Spokesman-Review, AP, 1 July 1997).
Italy: the photographs and the Gallo commission
In June 1997 the Italian newsweekly Panorama published photographs and interviews describing torture and abuse by Italian soldiers in 1993, including a photo it said showed a soldier raping a Somali woman. A former infantryman told the magazine that after an Italian lieutenant was shot near their camp, Italian and German troops fired machine guns and grenades at the town of Jalalaqsi for an hour, although the villagers had not been involved. Generals Bruno Loi and Carmine Fiore, who had led the contingent in 1993, asked to be relieved of their commands, and Prime Minister Romano Prodi's government set up a commission of inquiry (Deseret News, AP, 15 June 1997).
The commission, chaired by Ettore Gallo, a former president of the Constitutional Court, questioned more than 100 people. It reported in August 1997 that "some isolated cases of torture and racism did occur", that they did not compromise the mission's humanitarian spirit, and that top commanders had no role (Deseret News, AP, 10 August 1997).
Sources differ
- The Belgian fire case. The prosecution sought one month in jail; the court acquitted (AP).
- Italy. Panorama published photographs and soldiers' accounts of abuse; the Gallo commission called the cases isolated and cleared top commanders.
Read the primary sources yourself
Sources
- The Irish Times, 17 April 1997 · irishtimes.com
- Spokesman-Review, AP, 1 July 1997 · spokesman.com
- Deseret News, AP, 15 June 1997 · deseret.com
- Deseret News, AP, 10 August 1997 · deseret.com
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Where it happened
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Beledweyne (Belet Weyne) and HiiraanHiiraan is a region of Hirshabelle State on the Shabelle river, with Beledweyne as its capital and about 505,000 to 598,000 people.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- The Somali Civil WarThe Somali Civil War from the 1980s to now: the rebel fronts, the fall of Siad Barre, the split of Mogadishu, famine, the UN years, the Islamic Courts and al-Shabaab.
- The Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), 2001–2004The SRRC, the Ethiopian-hosted alliance against Somalia's Arta government: its founding in 2001, its refusal to recognise the TNG, its fighting, and its part in the Kenya talks.
- The Burao conference and Somaliland's declaration, May 1991The Burao conference of 1991 and the declaration of the Republic of Somaliland: who attended, what was decided, the first government, and the first year after.
- The Transitional Federal Parliament, 2004–2012Somalia's Transitional Federal Parliament from 2004 to 2012: how members were chosen by clan, the first sessions in Nairobi and Baidoa, the 2009 expansion, the Kampala Accord and the handover.
- UNOSOM I, 1992–1993: the first UN operation in SomaliaUNOSOM I, April 1992 to March 1993: the Mogadishu ceasefire, the observers and the Pakistani battalion, the famine, the looting of aid, and the turn to UNITAF.
- The UN and US intervention, 1992–1995: UNOSOM and UNITAFUNOSOM I and II and the US-led UNITAF, 1992–1995: the famine, the missions, the 5 June and 3 October 1993 battles, the civilian toll, and the withdrawal.