# Ethiopia and Somalia at war: a timeline, 1527 to 2026 > A timeline of wars and armed confrontations between Ethiopia and Somalia, from Adal in the 16th century through 1964, 1977, 1982 and 2006, to the 2024 crisis, with links to each full page. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/history/ethiopia-somalia-wars-timeline/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## In short This timeline lists the main wars and armed confrontations between Ethiopia and Somalia and the states before them. Each entry gives the main facts and their source, and links to the full page, which sets out where accounts differ. Many of the disputes were over the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region of Ethiopia. ## Timeline - **1527–1543. Adal and Ethiopia.** Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi of Adal, based at Harar, with an army largely of Somali communities, fought the Christian kingdom of Ethiopia. He won at Shimbra Kure in March 1529 and held most of Ethiopia by 1540, but was killed at [Wayna Daga](/en/history/imam-ahmads-son-and-the-end-of-the-war-1543-1560/) on 21 February 1543 after Portugal sent 400 musketeers to help Ethiopia ([Whiteway, *The Portuguese Expedition to Abyssinia in 1541–1543*, 1902](https://archive.org/details/portugueseexpedi00whitrich)). Full page: [Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim and the Adal campaigns, 1527–1543](/en/history/imam-ahmad-and-adal-1527-1543/). - **February–March 1964. The border war.** Fighting began at Tog [Wajaale](/en/economy/ethiopia-somaliland-border-trade/) between Hargeisa and Jigjiga, and Ethiopian aircraft struck targets inside Somalia. [Sudan](/en/diaspora/sudan/) mediated, and talks in Khartoum in March produced a ceasefire and a demilitarised strip on each side of the border ([Library of Congress, *Somalia: A Country Study*](https://countrystudies.us/somalia/16.htm)). Full page: [The 1964 Ethiopian–Somali border war](/en/history/ethiopian-somali-border-war-1964/). - **July 1977–March 1978. The Ogaden war.** Somali forces and the [Western Somali Liberation Front](/en/government/western-somali-liberation-front/) took most of the Ogaden by late 1977. Soviet arms and about 17,000 Cuban troops turned the war, and Somalia announced its withdrawal on 9 March 1978 ([Library of Congress, *Ethiopia: A Country Study*](https://countrystudies.us/ethiopia/32.htm)). Full page: [The Ogaden war](/en/history/ogaden-war-1977/). - **July 1982–April 1988. The 1982 border war.** Ethiopian forces, with fighters of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, crossed into central Somalia and took Balanbale and Galdogob ([UPI, 12 July 1982](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/07/12/Fighting-flares-on-Ethiopian-Somali-border/3690395294400/)). The two governments agreed in April 1988 to withdraw their forces from the border. Full page: [The 1982 Ethiopian–Somali border war](/en/history/ethiopian-somali-border-war-1982/). - **December 2006–January 2009. The intervention.** Ethiopian forces entered Somalia in support of the transitional government and drove the Islamic Courts out of Mogadishu. Human Rights Watch found that all sides violated the laws of war in the fighting that followed ([Human Rights Watch, *Shell-Shocked*, 2007](https://www.hrw.org/report/2007/08/13/shell-shocked/civilians-under-siege-mogadishu)). Ethiopian troops left Mogadishu on 15 January 2009. Full pages: [War in Somalia, 2006 to 2009](/en/history/war-in-somalia-2006-2009/) and [Ethiopia's military in Somalia](/en/institutions/ethiopia-military-in-somalia/). - **2014 onward. Inside the AU missions.** Ethiopian troops formally joined [AMISOM](/en/institutions/amisom/) in January 2014, and others have served outside the AU missions under bilateral arrangements. See [Ethiopia's military in Somalia](/en/institutions/ethiopia-military-in-somalia/). - **2024. The [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) memorandum.** Ethiopia's memorandum of understanding with Somaliland on 1 January 2024 led to a sharp dispute with Somalia and to Somali defence pacts with Turkey and Egypt. Turkish mediation produced the Ankara Declaration on 11 December 2024 ([The National, 29 August 2024](https://thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/08/29/ethiopia-alarmed-as-egypt-sends-special-forces-and-arms-to-somalia)). See [Egypt's military in Somalia](/en/institutions/egypt-military-in-somalia/) and [AUSSOM](/en/institutions/aussom/). ## Sources differ Each full page lists where its sources disagree. The largest disputes are over the size of the Ethiopian force in 2006 (from 4,000 to 50,000 or more) and over how many died in each war. ## Read the primary sources yourself - Library of Congress, *Somalia: A Country Study* and *Ethiopia: A Country Study*: [Somalia](https://countrystudies.us/somalia/16.htm), [Ethiopia](https://countrystudies.us/ethiopia/32.htm). - Human Rights Watch, *Shell-Shocked* (2007): [report](https://www.hrw.org/report/2007/08/13/shell-shocked/civilians-under-siege-mogadishu). --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.