| | Persuading the Somali living in Ethiopia to shed their irredentist aspirations and the dream of Greater Somalia was a conspicuous initial success for the regime that came to power in that country in 1991 (see ROAPE 59, 1994). Undoubtedly, the disintegration of the Somali state itself had something to do with it. Be that as it may, the Somali apparently accepted the offer of self-government within a decentralized Ethiopian state and plunged enthusiastically into political competition for control of their regional government. They did this in characteristic Somali fashion: each clan produced its own political party, and soon there were more than a dozen. The Ogaden, the dominant clan in the region that traditionally bore its name, was initially represented by two organizations. The veteran Western Somalia Liberation Front (WSLF), founded in the mid-1970s, was now overshadowed by the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), formed a decade later by defectors from the WSLF who had exchanged Somali irredentism for Ogaden nationalism and aspired to set up their own state. Two Islamic organizations also made their appearance - one representing militant fundamentalism, the other the traditional religious leadership. While both aspired to transcend clan boundaries, their support, as their names indicate, came mainly from the Ogaden clan. The formal name of the first is Ogaden Islamic Union, and of the second Islamic Solidarity Party - Western Somalia - Ogaden. |
