# The Somalia affair: Canadian troops in Beledweyne, 1993 > The Somalia affair: the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Beledweyne in 1992–1993, the killings of Achmed Aruush and Shidane Arone, the trials, the regiment's disbandment and the public inquiry. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/history/somalia-affair-canada-1993/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## In short The "Somalia affair" is the name used in Canada for the killings of Somali civilians by Canadian soldiers in Beledweyne in 1993 and the scandal that followed. This page records what the sources report. The Belgian and Italian cases are in [Belgian and Italian troops in Somalia, 1993](/en/history/belgian-italian-troops-somalia-1993/). The wider mission is covered in [The UN intervention, 1992 to 1995](/en/history/un-intervention-1992-1995/) and [UNOSOM I](/en/history/unosom-i-1992-1993/). ## Deployment In December 1992 about 1,400 Canadian troops, mostly of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, arrived in Beledweyne (Belet Huen) as part of the UN-backed humanitarian mission ([Richard Foot, *The Canadian Encyclopedia*, 2018](https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/somalia-affair)). ## The killings - **4 March 1993.** Soldiers set a trap with food and water near the camp's perimeter fence and shot two Somalis in the back as they fled, killing Achmed Aruush (*The Canadian Encyclopedia*). - **16 March 1993.** Shidane Abukar Arone, 16, was caught inside the base. He was tortured for hours and was dead shortly after midnight. His abusers took photographs, and soldiers who heard his screams did not step in (*The Canadian Encyclopedia*; [Ali Amad, VICE, 14 March 2018](https://www.vice.com/en/article/remembering-the-somalia-affair-canadas-forgotten-abu-ghraib-moment/)). VICE reported that six Somalis were killed by Canadian soldiers during the deployment (VICE, 2018). ## Trials Master Corporal Clayton Matchee was found hanging in his cell after his arrest, was left brain-damaged, and was found unfit to stand trial. Private Kyle Brown was convicted of manslaughter and torture, sentenced to five years and dismissed from the forces; he was released after less than two years. Another soldier pleaded guilty to negligent performance of duty, and Lieutenant Colonel Carol Mathieu was acquitted of minor charges. No one else was convicted over the deaths of Arone or Aruush (*The Canadian Encyclopedia*). VICE reported that Canada compensated Arone's clan with the value of 100 camels, about US$15,000, and that his parents' lawsuit for $5 million was dismissed in 1999 (VICE, 2018). ## Disbandment and inquiry After videos of racist remarks and hazing in the regiment came out, Defence Minister David Collenette disbanded the Canadian Airborne Regiment in 1995. He said in 2020: "if you didn't think you could really change the culture, then you needed to take a fresh start" ([*The Guardian* via Yahoo News, 2 December 2020](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/war-crimes-former-minister-reveals-163033996.html)). A public inquiry led by Federal Court judge Gilles Létourneau held hearings from late 1995. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien ended the hearings at the end of 1996, before the inquiry had heard testimony on Arone's death. Its report, released in 1997, found that officers had tampered with documents and spoke of "evasion and deception, which in our view were apparent with many of the senior officers who testified before us" (*The Canadian Encyclopedia*; VICE, 2018). ## Sources differ - **How many Somalis were killed.** *The Canadian Encyclopedia* describes the two deaths in March 1993; VICE reported six deaths during the deployment. - **The inquiry's recommendations.** 157 (*The Canadian Encyclopedia*) or 100 (VICE). ## Read the primary sources yourself - Richard Foot, "Somalia Affair", *The Canadian Encyclopedia* (2018): [article](https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/somalia-affair). - Ali Amad, "Remembering the 'Somalia Affair'", VICE (2018): [article](https://www.vice.com/en/article/remembering-the-somalia-affair-canadas-forgotten-abu-ghraib-moment/). --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.