Africa
Somalia is presented here as a historical economic dossier rather than a flat stat sheet: long-run macro cycles, public balance-sheet pressure, market depth, external buffers, and the events that likely bent the curve.
A tighter current-state read before dropping into the long historical charts.
The timeline is where macro numbers meet story: crises, wars, policy shifts, trade deals, and other shocks connected to Somalia.
Union of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland.
Seventeen African countries gained independence from European colonial powers in 1960, marking the most rapid decolonization in history. These included Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali, and many others.
Led to state collapse and ongoing conflict.
The United States led a humanitarian military intervention in Somalia to protect food aid delivery amid a devastating civil war and famine. The mission evolved into a peacekeeping effort that ended disastrously with the Black Hawk Down incident in 1993.
US forces attempting to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Aidid's lieutenants were caught in an ambush in Mogadishu, resulting in 18 Americans killed and the downing of two Black Hawk helicopters. The traumatic battle led to the US withdrawal from Somalia.