| Scope note |
In 1992 the international community attempted to provide some relief from civil war and famine for Somalia with an international campaign for aid.
In July the first UN personnel were deployed to Somalia as part the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). In October the Australian government decided to send a thirty-person Movement Control Unit (MCU), drawn from the three services, to Somalia to coordinate transport for the UN ceasefire monitoring mission.
In November the US government announced it would lead a force to Somalia to enable aid agencies to distribute humanitarian relief. Australia contributed an infantry battalion group to UNITAF.
The RAN played an important part in the deployment, transporting the battalion group equipment, vehicles, and some troops, to Somalia on board the training ship HMAS Jervis Bay and the heavy landing ship HMAS Tobruk.
On 4 May 1993 UNITAF was replaced by expanded UNOSOM II, which had an extensive mandate to rebuild the Somali state.
With the hand-over, the 1RAR battalion group was transferred to UNOSOM II until 13 May. The MCU remained in Somali with UNOSOM II and was joined by a group of air traffic controllers.
The Australian contingent remained in Somalia for another seven months, finally withdrawn in November. After suffering significant casualties and unable to restore order or peace, the last UN troops were withdrawn from Somalia in March 1995. |