Rebuilding without a state, 1991 to 2012
The Islamic Courts Union, 2006
The Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was a coalition of sharia courts that took control of Mogadishu in June 2006, the first single authority in the city since 1991. It reopened the port and airport and made the streets safer, then spread across most of south-central Somalia. Ethiopian forces, backing the Transitional Federal Government, attacked on 24 December 2006, and the ICU dissolved within days.
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; Human Rights Watch, Shell-Shocked, 2007).
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).
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.
- 2004. They regrouped as the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts. It was led by Sheikh 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).
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 to the Kenyan border (same source).
Six months of rule
Menkhaus describes what changed under the Courts' administration in 2006 (MERIP 2007):
"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).
Why Ethiopia intervened
The Transitional Federal Government (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).
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).
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). 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).
- 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.
- Al-Shabaab. The militant wing of the courts became a separate insurgency. See 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).
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). 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).
Read the primary sources yourself
Sources
- Menkhaus, Middle East Report, MERIP, 2007 · merip.org
- Human Rights Watch, Shell-Shocked, 2007 · hrw.org
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Where it happened
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.