VII - From Trusteeship to Independence: 1950-60

Summary

The introduction of representative government in Somalia

ITALY's NEW POSITION in her former colony of Somalia was carefully and closely defined in the United Nations Trusteeship agreement under which she assumed responsibility for the territory. The Italian Trust Administration (A.F.I.S.) was required to ‘foster the development of free political institutions and to promote the development of the inhabitants of the territory towards independence’. To achieve this end Somalis were to be given increasing responsibility in the political and administrative control of their country under the benevolent tutorship of the Trust Administration. The Agreement, which was approved by the U.N. Assembly on 2 December, 1950, also contained as an annex a declaration of constitutional principles guaranteeing Somali rights and the full implementation of the Trust Administration's obligations. To make assurance doubly sure from the Somali point of view, a special U.N. Advisory Council was created to sit in Mogadishu to provide direct liaison with the Italian Administration and its wards. This body, which consisted of a small committee of representatives of U.N. member governments and a small secretariat staff, was available to make recommendations and reports on the progress of development in all spheres and to provide tangible evidence of United Nations responsibility and concern. The effect of this U.N. presence was also further strengthened by the provision of regular visiting missions which, like the Advisory Council, reported to the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations.

These measures which left Italy little room for manoeuvre or evasion, coupled with the restriction of the trusteeship period to ten years, helped to allay Somali apprehensions. Nevertheless, the first few years of the new rdgime were marked by animosity and suspicion on both sides. With memories of the 1948 disturbances very much alive, and conscious that they were unlikely to receive a very cordial welcome, the returning Italian authorities judged it prudent to ensure that they were adequately protected against any violent expression of Somali resentment. To Somalis, however, the strong military forces which were dispatched to support the establishment of the new administration, gave the handover much of the character of a military occupation. Nor was the position much eased by the heavy-handed manner in which the Italians tended, initially at least, to reassert their authority.