ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the motivations for intervention. These were, of course, officially proclaimed to be an independent concern for the well-being of the Somali civilian population, decimated by combat and even more by famine, after three years of steadily escalating civil war. At first, the French General Staff had thought about an intervention into Somaliland, where French troops would have been by themselves and closer to the Djibouti zone of French influence. The French arrived in Hoddur on December 25 and quickly set up the own disarmament and weapons-control policy without bothering too much to check it with the UN. Dealing with the political situation in Somalia was everybody's weakest point, especially the UN's. The European presence in Operation Restore Hope was a rather mixed bag. It was motivated by a variety of different domestic political considerations and remained dominated by them throughout.
