ABSTRACT
Italy's new position in her former colony of Somalia was carefully and closely defined in the United Nations Trusteeship agreement under which she assumed responsibility for the territory. The Italian Trust Administration (A.F.I.S.) was required to 'foster the development of free political institutions and to promote the development of the inhabitants of the territory towards independence'. While in Somalia the limitation of the period of trusteeship to ten years imparted a strong sense of urgency, in British Somaliland, where no date had been set for independence, and where indeed the matter had scarcely been raised, progress proceeded at a much more leisurely pace. The government formed in Somalia by 'Abdillahi 'Ise in 1956 was confronted by all the problems of a country moving rapidly towards autonomy. Interest naturally centred on those internal issues of vital concern to the future stability and prosperity of the state.
