From 1988 to January 1991, when the government of the late president Siad Barre fell, there was a civil war in Somalia involving different clan-based factions including the Hawiye (News from Africa Watch 13 Feb. 1992, 2-28; 12 Sept. 1990, 2-15). The Hawiye-based United Somali Congress (USC), which reportedly was founded in January 1989 "but came to occupy a preeminent position in 1990 because the capital city, Mogadishu, lies in a Hawiye area.

The USC armed struggle reportedly began in Ethiopia in 1989 and was led by the late General Aideed (ibid., 4). In June 1990 the USC second congress in Hiraan region reportedly elected the late General Aideed chairman of the USC (ibid.).

In December 1990 and January 1991, as the USC and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM) forces closed on Mogadishu, Siad Barre began to instigate fighting inside Mogadishu. The fiercest clashes began on the morning of December 30, with fighting between members of the Darod clan (many of them armed by Barre) and the Hawiye clan (supporters of the USC) (ibid.).

On 19 January 1991 the USC forces under the command of General Aideed reportedly entered Mogadishu and on 26 January Siad Barre allegedly fled the city (ibid.,3). For detailed information on Hawiye involvement in the Somali civil war, please consult the following News from Africa Watch reports: "Somalia: A Flight to Death? Leaving Civilians at the Mercy of Terror and Starvation" of 13 February 1992 and "Evading Reality: Government Announces Cosmetic Changes: As Abuses Continue and Challenges to the Regime Intensify" of 12 September 1990, both of which are available at your Regional Documentation Centre.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

News from Africa Watch [New York]. 13 February 1992. Vol. 4, No. 2. "Somalia: A Fight to the Death? Leaving Civilians at the Mercy of Terror and Starvation."

_____. 12 September 1990. "Somalia: Evading Reality: Government Abuses Continue and Challenges to Regime Intensify."