ABSTRACT
Ethiopian imperial aspirations, Somali irredentism and Eritrean nationalism contributed to recurrent conflict within the Horn of Africa. In January 1948 Somali Youth League demonstrations led to riots which killed more than 50 Italians and a smaller number of Somali within the capital, Mogadishu. Ethiopia retained control of the Ogaden when British and Italian Somaliland obtained independence in June 1960. The colonial territory of French Somaliland (Djibouti) was formally demarcated in 1897 by agreement with Ethiopia and other European powers. France's colony of French Somaliland (Djibouti), renamed the Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967, experienced repeated political disturbances during the late 1960s and 1970s. In mid-February 1987, following several minor border incidents, Somali National Movement irregulars backed by Ethiopian aircraft and tanks manned by regular Ethiopian soldiers attacked Somali border villages in the vicinity of Todghere. Somali forces repulsed the attack after suffering 25 reported fatalities in defense and inflicting at least equivalent casualties upon invaders.
