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Somalia was formed July 1, 1960, from the unification of the British protectorate of Somaliland with Italian Somaliland. The United States immediately recognized the Somali government and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The U.S. Embassy in the capital Mogadiscio (now Mogadishu) was established on July 1, 1960, with Andrew G. Lynch as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. He was promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary four days later on July 5, 1960.

As a result of the civil war in Somalia, the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu was closed on July 5, 1991. The United States has had no diplomatic relations with Somalia since that date.

Background

The area on the Horn of Africa that is now Somalia has been fought over by numerous factions for hundreds of years. Local warlords, Ethiopians, Eritreans, the Ottoman Empire, and Arabs had been warring in the territory since the Middle Ages. In the late 18th century in the Scramble for Africa, Britain, France, and Italy all made territorial claims on the peninsula. In 1886 the British gained control over northern Somalia through treaties with various Somali chiefs who were guaranteed British protection. The British established the British Somaliland protectorate.

In 1885 Italy obtained commercial advantages in the area from the Sultan of Zanzibar and in 1889 concluded agreements with the sultans of Obbia and Aluula, who placed their territories under Italy’s protection. Between 1897 and 1908, Italy made agreements with the Ethiopians and the British that marked out the boundaries of Italian Somaliland. The Italian Government assumed direct administration, giving the territory colonial status.

In the 1920s after the Great War Italy made attempts to expand their control of Somaliland, gaining territory ceded by Great Britain and subjugating some of the independent sultanates. Italian and Somali influence expanded into the Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia. Continuing incursions climaxed in 1935 when Italian forces launched an offensive that led to the capture of Addis Ababa and the Italian annexation of Ethiopia in 1936.

Following the outbreak of war between Italy and the United Kingdom in June 1940, Italian troops overran British Somaliland and drove out the British garrison. In 1941 the British campaign regained the lost territory and had gained control of Italian Somaliland. From 1941 to 1950, while Somalia was under British military administration, transition toward self-government was begun through the establishment of local courts, planning committees, and the Protectorate Advisory Council. In 1948 Britain turned the Ogaden and neighboring Somali territories over to Ethiopia.

After World War II Italy renounced its claims to all territories in Somaliland and Ethiopia. In 1948 the victorious Allies turned the question of Somalia over to the United Nations. In 1949 the General Assembly adopted a resolution recommending that Italian Somaliland be placed under an international trusteeship system for 10 years, with Italy as the administering authority, followed by independence for Italian Somaliland. In 1959, at the request of the Somali Government, the UN General Assembly advanced the date of independence from December 2 to July 1, 1960. The British protecorate gained independence as the State of Somaliland on June 26, 1960. Days later, as a referendum indicated support for unification with Italian Somaliland, it joined with that territory to form a new Somali Republic (Somalia) on July 1, 1960.

Ambassadors

• Andrew G. Lynch – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: July 5, 1960
  • Presented credentials: July 11, 1960
  • Terminated mission: Left post May 7, 1962
• Horace G. Torbert, Jr. – Career FSO^[1]
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: February 17, 1962
  • Presented credentials: January 31, 1963
  • Terminated mission: Left post August 29, 1965
• Raymond L. Thurston – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: September 1, 1965
  • Presented credentials: November 23, 1965
  • Terminated mission: Left post December 15, 1968
• Fred L. Hadsel – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: May 13, 1969
  • Presented credentials: June 28, 1969
  • Terminated mission: Left post July 18, 1971
• Matthew J. Looram, Jr. – Career FSO^[2]
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: February 15, 1972
  • Presented credentials: March 13, 1972
  • Terminated mission: Left post July 5, 1973
• Roger Kirk – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: September 20, 1973
  • Presented credentials: October 8, 1973
  • Terminated mission: Left post February 20, 1975
• John L. Loughran – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: May 8, 1975
  • Presented credentials: August 13, 1975
  • Terminated mission: Left post November 5, 1978
• Donald K. Petterson – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: October 12, 1978
  • Presented credentials: December 8, 1978
  • Terminated mission: Left post December 30, 1982
• Robert B. Oakley – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: September 30, 1982
  • Presented credentials: January 26, 1983
  • Terminated mission: Left post August 12, 1984
• Peter Bridges – Career FSO^[3]
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: November 14, 1984
  • Presented credentials: December 19, 1984
  • Terminated mission: Left post May 14, 1986
• Note: The post was vacant from May 1986 until June 1987. The following officers served as chargé d'affaires ad interim:
  • John L. Hirsch (May 1986–August 1986)
  • David P. Rawson (August 1986–June 1987).
• Trusten Frank Crigler – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: April 24, 1987
  • Presented credentials: June 3, 1987
  • Terminated mission: Left post April 1, 1990
• James Keough Bishop – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: June 27, 1990
  • Presented credentials: September 19, 1990
  • Terminated mission: January 5, 1991
• Note: The embassy was closed on January 5, 1991.

Notes

1. ^ Torbert was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on March 12, 1963.
2. ^ An earlier nomination of December 15, 1971, was not acted upon by the Senate.
3. ^ Bridges was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on July 12, 1985.

See also

• History of Somalia
• Foreign relations of Somalia
• Ambassadors from the United States

Sources

• United States Department of State: Ambassadors to Somalia
• United States Department of State: Background notes on Somalia
•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).