SUMMARY
USC/SNA (United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance) was an armed faction that evolved from the USC (United Somali Congress) in 1991. The original USC was founded in Rome in 1989 by Ali Mohamed Osobleh Wardhiigley. The group was at the outset made up mostly of Hawiye diaspora opposing the regime of Siad Barre. In May 1990 a USC conference in Mustahil, Ethiopia, elected Mohamed Farah “Aideed” as the leader of the group. Aideed had previously been leading groups of Hawiye fighters, allied with the mainly Isaaq clan-based oppositional forces of SNM (Somali National Movement), in the struggle against Siad Barre in central Somalia. USC remained divided between those members based in Rome (often referred to as USC-Rome), who opened up for dialogue with Siad Barre through the so called Manifesto group, and the military-oriented USC where Aideed was the unquestioned leader. For this reason the group has also been referred to as USC – Aideed faction and sometimes USC - Mustahil.
As a response to the Manifesto group, Aideed led USC into a power-sharing agreement with fellow rebel groups SNM (Somali National Movement) and SPM (Somali Patriotic Movement) where they agreed to share the power following the downfall of Siad Barre, with Aideed as president. However, when Siad Barre was defeated in January 1991 Ali Mahdi, one of the most prominent leaders within the USC – Rome faction, took advantage of the situation and announced himself interim president before Aideed’s forces had arrived to Mogadishu. This led to a split between the group into two separate factions, one led by Aideed (henceforth known as USC/SNA) and one led by Mahdi (henceforth referred to as USC/SSA). The split was practically also a split along clan lines, where USC/SNA was mainly Habr Gedir (Hawiye) and USC/SSA (United Somali Congress/Somali Salvation Army) mainly Abgal (Hawiye).
Though allegiances shifted and armed groups have come and gone in Somalia throughout years of conflict, the early to mid-1990s saw a fairly clear division of allegiances between two sides. One of them was the SNA (Somali National Alliance) where USC/SNA was the dominating force, and the other one SSA (Somali Salvation Army) where USC/SSA was leading the way. These allegiances have been argued to have been based more on a personal sense of loyalty to Ali Mahdi or Aideed than on clan affiliations.
The main supporting groups of Mahdi, and thus the other members of the weakly organised SSA, were SSDF (Somali Salvation and Democratic Front; mainly Majerteen/Darod), SPM (Somali Patriotic Movement; mainly Ogaden/Darod), SNF (Somali National Force; mainly Marehan/Darod), USP (United Somali Party; mainly Dhulbahante/Harti/Darod and Warsengeli/Harti/Darod), and SDA (Somali Democratic Alliance; mainly Gadabursi/Dir).
On the other side, the SNA was led by Aideed and his USC/SNA supported by SPM/SNA (Somali Patriotic Movement/Somali National Alliance; Ogaden/Darod), SDM (Somali Democratic Movement; mainly Rahanwein/Digil-Mirifle), SSNM (Somali Salvation National Movement; mainly Bimal/Dir and changed sides to Mahdi’s SSA in 1993), and SAMO (Somali Africans Muke Organization; Bantu).
Mohamed Farah Aideed was head of USC/SNA until his death in 1996, when his son, Hussein Farah Aideed, took over. In 2000 a congress in Djibouti, consisting of Somali elders, elected a Transitional National Government (TNG) which was to lead Somalia. A year later USC/SNA was one of the parties forming the anti-TNG group SRRC (Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council). Other members of the SRRC were SPM, SSDF, SSNM (Southern Somali National Movement), NSC (National Salvation Council), SNF (Somali National Front) and RRA (Rahaweyn Resistance Army).
In 2004 a new, internationally recognized, government of Somalia was formed, the TFG (Transitional Federal Government). TFG could however not set foot in Mogadishu until 2007, when SISC (Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia) had been ousted with the assistance of Ethiopian troops. After the inception of TFG, Hussein Farah Aideed had a more political than military role. With this change, the character of USC/SNA also changed. Aideed held a positions in TFG but was relieved of his duties in 2007, moving to Asmara, Eritrea.
USC/SNA has been involved in the intrastate and non-state categories of UCDP organised violence
