Ogaden issue between Ethiopia-Somalia

Even though the Horn of Africa has similar characteristics to other regions of the Africa continent, it is the area where border conflicts have been encountered the most. Being the most important country of the Horn, Ethiopia is at the centre of these conflicts. In order for us to analyse conflicts taking place particularly in Ethiopia, we need to understand the historical developments. The reasons of the chaos occurring in Ethiopia since long-time are the facts that a colonial policy has been pursued officially around the continent with the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, that borders are determined by neglecting local particularities, that foreign forces have always embittered crises of the region and that it hasn't been possible to establish a democratic administration style.Although the federal structure adopted in 1991 gave the Somalians living in Ethiopia the chance to be separated from the Ethiopian administration, it doesn't seem possible for the local people to gain independence in short-term. However, conflicts taking place in the region render the region vulnerable to foreign interventions and jeopardize the safety of hydrocarbon areas. Attacks organized in 2007 against Chinese engineers and workers carrying out oil and natural gas research works in the region brought Ogaden to the attention of World's public opinion.This study has the objective to explain, in the context of colonialism, the reasons of conflicts over the control of Ogaden region and the progress made thus far in overcoming these problems.Key Words:1.Horn of Africa2.Colonialism3.Ethiopia, Somalia4.Ogaden Issue5.Border Clash