The Interim Government of Somalia, 1991

In short

"Following its defeat of Siad Barre, the Executive Committee of the USC announced the formation of an interim provisional government, even though it did not exercise effective authority over the entire country. The USC chose one of its own members, Ali Mahdi Mahammad (b. 1939), as provisional president," the US Library of Congress records (Somalia: A Country Study, "Government structure").

"In January the USC proclaimed a provisional government which none of the other factions recognized," the US State Department reported. In July, in Djibouti, six factions agreed to an interim government with Ali Mahdi as President, but "their efforts to establish a government were aborted by fighting between factions of the USC" (US Department of State, Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1991: Somalia). For how Siad Barre fell, see the fall of Mogadishu, 1990–1991.

The provisional government, early 1991

• 29 January 1991. "A mere three days later, without consulting the armed movements, or even the other factions of the USC, Ali Mahdi, a businessman and member of the USC, declared himself Interim President" (Africa Watch and Physicians for Human Rights, No Mercy in Mogadishu, 1992). See Ali Mahdi Mohamed.
• Powers. "The president served as head of state, but the duties and responsibilities of the office were not defined. For the most part, the provisional president retained the same powers that had been stipulated in the constitution of 1979" (Library of Congress, "Government structure").
• The cabinet. Ali Mahdi named Omar Arteh Ghalib Prime Minister. "Ghalib's cabinet, called the Provisional Government of National Unity, initially consisted of twenty-seven full ministers and eight deputy ministers" (same source).
• Why Ghalib. His appointment "demonstrated the sensitivity of Mahammad and other USC leaders to the role of clans in the country's politics. Ghalib belonged to the important Isaaq clan-family of northern Somalia", though he was not a member of the SNM. He had been Siad Barre's first foreign minister, from 1969 to 1976 (same source).
• Elections. The President promised elections once security returned, but "rivalries within the USC, as well as opposition to the interim government in other parts of the country, made the questions of elections a moot point" (same source).

Rejected by the other movements

From the Library of Congress (Somalia: A Country Study, "Politics of succession"):

• The south. "The USC's announcement of a provisional government in February 1991 angered its allies, who maintained that they had not been consulted." The SSDF "refused to accept the legitimacy of the provisional government". The SPM and the SSDF "ousted USC forces from Chisimayu", and "violent clashes throughout March threatened to return the country to civil war".
• The north. The SNM "criticized the USC's unilateral takeover of the central government" and refused to join unity talks. "Lacking the cooperation of the SNM, the provisional government was powerless to assert its own authority in the region." On 17 May 1991 the SNM announced the Republic of Somaliland. See the Burao conference and Somaliland's declaration.

The Djibouti agreement, July 1991

"In July, at a meeting in Djibouti, six factions—including the USC and two Darod movements but not the SNM—agreed to form an interim government, under the old 1961 constitution, with a 2-year term of office until elections could be held. The six factions announced a 72-member cabinet, headed by Ali Mahdi Mohamed as President" (State Department, 1991).

The split with Aidid

• The challenge. "Mahammad's most serious challenger was General Mahammad Faarah Aidid, leader of a USC faction that supported cooperation with the SNM." Aidid "contested the authority of the Mogadishu-based USC Executive Committee to form an interim government without consultation" (Library of Congress, "Government structure"). See Mohamed Farah Aidid.
• Clans. "Mahammad was a member of the Abgaal clan of the Hawiye clan-family, whereas Aidid was a member of that same clan-family's Habar Gidir clan" (same source).
• September 1991. "By September, Aidid had established his own rival government in the southern part of the capital. A series of clashes between forces loyal to Aidid and those loyal to Mahammad compelled the latter to retreat to northern Mogadishu" (same source).
• 17 November 1991. "General Aidid's forces, drawn mainly from the Habr Gidir subclan of the Hawiye, launched an all-out attack on President Mahdi's positions, manned largely by members of the Abgal subclan." They "overran most of the city, but failed to dislodge Mahdi's forces" from the north (Africa Watch and PHR).
• The result. "In November and December, thousands of people were killed in Mogadishu, and at year's end Somalia had almost ceased to exist as a state" (State Department, 1991).

For the years that followed, see the collapse, 1991–2000.

Who suffered?

• People of Mogadishu, thousands of whom were killed in the fighting between the two USC wings in November and December 1991 (State Department).
• Darod residents of Mogadishu, attacked after the fall of the government; hundreds were killed and hundreds of thousands fled (State Department). See the fall of Mogadishu.
• People of Kismayo and the south, where USC, SPM and SSDF forces fought from February 1991 (Library of Congress, "Politics of succession").

Sources differ

• The date. Africa Watch gives 29 January 1991 for Ali Mahdi's declaration. The Library of Congress dates the USC's announcement of a provisional government to February 1991. The State Department says January.
• The cabinet. The Library of Congress counts 27 ministers and 8 deputy ministers in the first cabinet. The State Department gives a 72-member cabinet after the Djibouti agreement of July.

Read the primary sources yourself

• Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study (1993): "Government structure"; "Politics of succession".
• US Department of State, Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1991: Somalia: text.
• Africa Watch and Physicians for Human Rights, No Mercy in Mogadishu (26 March 1992): text.