Co-operation and Diplomacy

Abstract

After independence the new republic of Somalia was one of the few African countries to have a democratic system and the only one based on the Italian political system. Yet the Italian model was far removed from the real needs of the government in Mogadishu, and as a consequence a significant distance between Somali society and the new institutions introduced by the Italians remained. This process continued in spite of the fact that AFIS had trained a large number of Somalis so that they could replace the Italian personnel in the administrative and bureaucratic departments. At the end of the mandate, when the so-called process of Somalisation was accomplished, Italy had to support the newly independent state both financially and through a limited presence of officers employed in the administration of the country. Ten years were not enough to establish an efficient economy as this was too short a time for the formation of a class of bureaucrats and administrators. During Italy’s 50-year presence in the Horn of Africa, and particularly in Somalia, the Italian face of imperialism changed in character, but its main feature remained one of direct administration, in which all responsibilities were in the hands of Italian officers with limited participation from Somalis. Rome made little effort to establish an efficient class of colonial officers¹ as, at a later stage, it underestimated the need for preparation of the administrators, who had to tackle the economic, political and social challenges of a country such as Somalia.