Somalia

Independent since 1960, Somalia is a peninsula located in the easternmost part of the African mainland. It is bordered to the southwest by Kenya, to the west by Ethiopia and to the north by Djibouti. The entire east coast is bordered by the Indian Ocean, while to the north it faces the strategic Gulf of Aden. The population is about 12.3 million and the official languages are Somali and Arabic.

The country is the result of a merger between the TrustTerritory of Somaliland under Italian Administration and the British Somaliland protectorate. Up to today, Somaliland is run totally autonomously from Mogadishu and it claims to be an independent state. The civil war that broke out in 1991, as yet unresolved, has plunged the country into political and social instability, which has favoured the rise of terrorist groups, in particular al-Shabaab, in the south.

Although still characterized by chronic highly negative balances and small volumes, Somalia’s trade with Italy and the rest of the world has been growing fast in the past decade. In addition to economic relations, Italy and Somalia cooperate in the defence and security field, through the Italian participation in UN international missions on Somali territory (UNITAF, UNOSOM II), as well as in anti-piracy operations. Somalia is at the top of the list of priority countries for the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. Major initiatives have included humanitarian assistance and emergency management, and the implementation of strategic infrastructure to facilitate the reconstruction of the country and foster economic development and institution building. Further initiatives have been undertaken in the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors.