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Operation Provide ReliefOperation Provide Relief (UNOSOM I) was a United Nation (UN) sponsored effort to provide humanitarian relief for the people of Somalia who were facing a severe famine, initiated and exacerbated by the ongoing Somoli civil war. It was initiated and spearheaded by the United States of America and other Western nations contributed to this airlift with the UN sent some troops to oversee the operation. However most of the food was looted shortly upon the landing of these planes. This made the operation a failure and the UN therefore asked its members for assistance, leading to Operation Restore Hope (UNOSOM II). = Background = In January 1991, the leader of Somalia, Mohammed Siad Barre, was overthrown by a coalition of opposing clans called the United Somalia Congress. After this revolution the coalition divided into two groups. One was led by Ali Mahdi, who became president, and the other by Mohammed Farah Aidid. In total there were four opposing groups: the United Somali Congress (USC), Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF), Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), and Somali Democratic Movement (SDM) which continued to fight over the domination of Somalia. In June 1991 a ceasefire was agreed, which these groups however failed to hold. A fifth group; the Somali National Movement (SNM) had already in June seceded in the northwest portion of Somalia, re-naming it the Somaliland Republic, with the leader of the SNM, Abdel-Rahman Ahmed Ali as president. In September 1991, severe fighting broke out in Mogadishu which continued in the following months and spread throughout the country with over 20,000 people killed or injured by the end of the year. These wars led to the destruction of the agriculture of Somalia which in turn led to starvation in large parts of Somalia. The international community begun to sent food supplies to halt the starvation. However vast amounts of food were hijacked and brought to local clan leaders. The food was routinely exchanged with other countries for weapons by them. An estimated 80% of the food was stolen. These factors led to even more starvation of which an estimated 300,000 people died and another 1,5 million suffering between 1991 and 1992. In July 1992, after a ceasefire between the opposing clan factions, the United Nations (UN) sent 50 military observers to hold sight on the distribution of the food. Operation Provide Relief in began in August 1992, when the White House announced US military transports would support the multinational UN relief effort in Somalia. Ten C-130s and 400 people deployed to Mombasa, Kenya, during Operation Provide Relief, airlifting aid to remote areas in Somalia to reduce reliance on truck convoys. One member of the 86th Supply Squadron deployed with the ground support contingent, USAFE's only contribution to the operation. The Air Force C-130s delivered 48,000 tons of food and medical supplies in six months to international humanitarian organizations, trying to help the over three million starving people in the country. When this proved inadequate to stop the massive death and displacement of Somali people (500,000 dead; 1.5 million refugees or displaced), the U.S. in December 1992 launched a major coalition operation, Operation Restore Hope to assist and protect humanitarian activities. That operation was eventually successful in stopping the famine and saving an estimated 200,000 lives, as well as de-escalating the high-intensity civil war into low-level, local skirmishes, but after a long and protracted effort and eventual pull-out of US forces following the Battle of Mogadishu. = Related topics = * Operation Deliverance, the concurrent Canadian mission
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