Back قوة المهام الموحدة Arabic UNITAF Catalan Unified Task Force German Force d'intervention unifiée French Operasi Restore Hope ID UNITAF Italian 希望回復作戦 Japanese 통합임무부대 Korean Operacja Przywrócić Nadzieję Polish Unified Task Force Portuguese
| Operation Restore Hope | |||||||
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| Part of the Somali Civil War | |||||||
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| Participants | |||||||
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Somali National Alliance Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Mohamed Farrah Aidid Hassan Dahir Aweys | |||||||
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The Unified Task Force (UNITAF), also known as Operation Restore Hope, was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational military force deployed to Somalia from 5 December 1992 to 4 May 1993. It was established to replace United Nations Operation in Somalia I (UNOSOM I), which had been deployed in April 1992 in response to the 1992 famine—a crisis that followed the 1991 collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic and the full outbreak of the Somali Civil War.
UNITAF was mandated to create a secure environment for humanitarian operations "by all necessary means". The task force, led by 28,000 US troops,[1] included international contributions from dozens of armed forces, totaling around 37,000 troops. Military deployments focused on the south, as central and northern Somalia remained relatively stable.[2] UNITAF forces began landing in Somalia during early December 1992, just as the famine was concluding[3] and had the effect of speeding the conclusion of the crisis by about a month.[4]
Aspects of the operation, in particular the large foreign military deployment, faced opposition from significant segments of Somali society and major factions such as the Somali National Alliance and Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya.[5][6] Several instances human rights violations by UN contingents later emerged, including Canada’s Somalia Affair and Italy’s Gallo Commission, which exposed cases of abuse and murder of civilians.[7][8][9] Overall, UNITAF avoided an armed conflict due to American Lt. Gen. Robert B. Johnston's strict rules of engagement, aimed at winning the Somali publics confidence—an approach abandoned in the succeeding phase of the UN operation in Somalia.[10]
In May 1993, UNITAF handed over its responsibilities to United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II), transitioning to a broader UN-led mission—though the operation effectively remained under US control.[11][12] According to journalist Scott Peterson, approximately 10,000–25,000 lives were saved as a result of the UNITAF and UNOSOM II operation.[13]
- ^ Drysdale 1994, pp. 84–85.
- ^ Drysdale 1994, pp. 104–105.
- ^ de Waal 1997, p. 185.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Maynes, C. William (Charles William); Williamson, Richard S.; American Assembly (1996). U.S. Foreign policy and the United Nations system. Internet Archive. New York : W.W. Norton. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-393-03907-8.
- ^ Noble, Kenneth B. (15 January 1993). "Islamic Militants, Pushed Aside, Express Anger in Somali Port". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ Razack, Sherene (2004). Dark Threats and White Knights: The Somalia Affair, Peacekeeping, and the New Imperialism. University of Toronto Press. pp. 51–55. ISBN 978-0-8020-8663-1.
- ^ Farnsworth, Clyde H. (27 November 1994). "Torture by Army Peacekeepers in Somalia Shocks Canada". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Italian peace force tortured Somalis". The Independent. 8 June 1997. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ Drysdale 1994, p. 165.
- ^ Berdal, Mats R. (1994). "Fateful Encounter: The United States and UN peacekeeping". Survival: Global Politics and Strategy. 36 (1): 30–50. doi:10.1080/00396339408442722. ISSN 0039-6338.
- ^ Peterson, Scott (25 May 1993). "US Backs Up UN in Somalia, Protecting Its Investment". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ Peterson 2000, p. 52.