SUMMARY

USC/SNA – OA (United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance – Osman Atto faction) was established in June 1995 after Ali Osman Atto, one of USC/SNA’s (United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance) financers, tried to replace Mohammed Farah Aideed, the leader of USC/SNA. USC/SNA was itself an offshoot from USC (United Somali Congress) which split in 1991 when one of its leaders, Ali Mahdi, declared himself President of Somalia, a position Aideed had been aspiring for. The USC/SNA coup was unsuccessful as a number of Aideed loyalists were able to prevent the overtaking of the organisation, which forced Atto out of USC/SNA. Atto, however, had enough supporters to and create a breakaway faction of his own.

Early on, USC/SNA – OA was welcomed by Aideed’s rival Ali Mahdi, of the USC/SSA, who at that time was seen as the government of Somalia. Aideed responded to the turbulence by gathering some of his loyal supporters at a convention which elected him President of Somalia. This presidency has never been internationally recognized and mostly served to draw the ties between Atto and Madhi closer in their struggle against Aideed for the control of the Somali capital Mogadishu. As with many other alliances in Somalia the cooperation between Mahdi and Atto proved to be fragile, at times they even found themselves in direct opposition of one another. Atto has later, in the early 2000s, been assisting SRRC (Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council), an alliance which opposed the TNG (Transitional National Government) which was installed in 2001.

USC/SNA – OA has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.