# The Islamic Courts Union, 2006 > The Islamic Courts Union of 2006: how local sharia courts grew into a movement, took Mogadishu, governed for six months, and dissolved after Ethiopia's entry. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/history/islamic-courts-union-2006/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## In short For six months in 2006, a coalition of Islamic courts governed Mogadishu and most of south-central Somalia. Many residents welcomed the order it brought. Its rise alarmed Ethiopia and the United States, and its end in December 2006 opened a new war ([Menkhaus, *Middle East Report*, MERIP, 2007](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia); [Human Rights Watch, *Shell-Shocked*, 2007](https://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/somalia0807/)). ## Where the courts came from After 1991 Mogadishu had no single authority. Local sharia courts filled part of the gap. The political scientist Ken Menkhaus writes that they were "initially financed by local businessmen, overseen by clan elders and operated by traditional Sufi clerics" ([MERIP 2007](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia)). The courts improved security in their neighbourhoods and "proved very popular". However, each court's authority covered only its own lineage (same source). - **2000.** The courts formed an umbrella body, the Sharia Implementation Council. Its secretary-general was [Hassan Dahir Aweys](/en/people/hassan-dahir-aweys/). - **2004.** They regrouped as the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts. It was led by [Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed](/en/people/sharif-sheikh-ahmed/), with Aweys still powerful. Menkhaus records that most of the 11 courts in Mogadishu "remained moderate and under the control of clan elders", while two had militant militias (same source). ## The battle for Mogadishu, February to June 2006 In early 2006, a group of militia and business leaders formed the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism. Menkhaus describes it as "CIA-backed" ([MERIP 2007](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia)). Fighting between the Alliance and the courts lasted for months. In June 2006 the courts won and took Mogadishu. They then spread their authority "over most of south-central Somalia", from southern [Mudug](/en/regions/mudug/) to the Kenyan border (same source). ## Six months of rule Menkhaus describes what changed under the Courts' administration in 2006 ([MERIP 2007](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia)): > "Public security improved dramatically throughout the capital. The Islamists disarmed clan militias… reopened the seaport and airport, and made the streets safe." He adds that the courts "earned widespread respect and support among locals and in the diaspora". That respect "began to fray" once hardline members pushed strict rules (same source). Human Rights Watch also records that the courts brought "unprecedented stability to a city plagued by lawlessness and extreme violence". It notes "early indicators of extreme and repressive action" as well ([HRW 2007](https://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/somalia0807/)). ## Why Ethiopia intervened The [Transitional Federal Government](/en/history/transitional-governments-2000-2012/) (TFG) sat at Baidoa with little support in Mogadishu. Talks between the TFG and the courts reached no agreement through mid-2006. Menkhaus writes that "the TFG, the Courts and Ethiopia all share in the blame" ([MERIP 2007](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia)). Ethiopia was alarmed by hardline statements from some court leaders, including claims on Somali-inhabited parts of Ethiopia. Human Rights Watch writes that Ethiopia's actions were "rooted in its own regional and national security interests", including a proxy rivalry with Eritrea ([HRW 2007](https://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/somalia0807/)). In December 2006 the UN Security Council passed resolution 1725, authorising an African force to protect the TFG (MERIP 2007). ## The end, December 2006 Ethiopia launched a full offensive on 24 December 2006, with what the press called "tacit support" from Washington ([MERIP 2007](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia)). After early losses the courts "unexpectedly dissolved in Mogadishu amidst deep internal divisions". Menkhaus explains the collapse. Business leaders refused an urban war that would wreck their property, and clan leaders feared heavy losses. Moderate Islamists rejected a confrontation with a powerful neighbour. Weapons and fighters went back to the clans, and the remaining leadership left for Kismayo (same source). ## What came after - **2007.** Fighting in Mogadishu between Ethiopian and TFG forces and insurgents displaced about 400,000 people. Human Rights Watch found "Ethiopian, Somali and insurgent forces are all responsible" for violations of the laws of war ([HRW 2007](https://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/somalia0807/)). - **2008–2009.** Moderate former court leaders joined talks in Djibouti. In January 2009 Sharif Sheikh Ahmed became president of the TFG. See [rebuilding, 2007–2012](/en/history/rebuilding-2007-2012/). - **Al-Shabaab.** The militant wing of the courts became a separate insurgency. See [al-Shabaab](/en/history/al-shabaab/). ## Who suffered? The sources record civilian deaths in Mogadishu in the fighting of early 2006, of December 2006, and of 2007. Human Rights Watch documented hundreds of civilian deaths in March and April 2007 alone ([HRW 2007](https://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/somalia0807/)). ## Sources differ - **Who led the courts.** Menkhaus describes a coalition led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, "but with hardliner Aweys still playing a dominant role" ([MERIP 2007](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia)). Accounts differ on which man held real power. - **Why the courts fell so fast.** Some accounts stress Ethiopia's military strength. Menkhaus argues that internal divisions mattered more ([MERIP 2007](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia)). ## Read the primary sources yourself - Ken Menkhaus, "There and Back Again in Somalia", *Middle East Report Online*, February 2007: [text](https://merip.org/2007/02/there-and-back-again-in-somalia). - Human Rights Watch, *Shell-Shocked: Civilians Under Siege in Mogadishu*, August 2007: [report](https://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/somalia0807/). --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.