The Horn of Africa is the easternmost region of the continent and comprises Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. Somalia has one of the largest coastlines in Africa, resulting in a robust fishing industry and plentiful maritime trading opportunities with countries around the world. Additionally, nomadic pastoralism is an integral part of Somali culture, and many Somalis have contributed to agricultural development in the country’s southern river valleys. (Source: Minnesota Historical Society)
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2/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
In 1960, Somalia became an independent nation after decades of British and Italian occupation in the north and the south, respectively. Nine years later, former president Mohamed Siad Barre led a repressive regime and staged a coup against the previously elected government, driving political, economic and social instability in the country. Following a widespread resistance movement, Barre was eventually overthrown in 1991. However, with his departure, the subsequent lack of central power in Somalia has trapped the country in a horrific civil war ever since. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been displaced within and across border lines, with many fleeing to neighboring countries and arriving in the United States as refugees as well. (Sources: Minnesota Historical Society, USA for UNHCR, Britannica)
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3/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
The United States started distributing visas to Somalis in 1992, a year after the Somali Civil War broke out. After being admitted as refugees, many Somalis matched with prominent resettlement agencies in Minnesota such as the International Institute of Minnesota and World Relief Minnesota alongside nonprofit religious organizations like Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. According to Ahmed Ismail Yusuf, the author of Somalis in Minnesota, the first Somalis in Minnesota settled in Marshall, a city approximately 150 miles west of Minneapolis. (Sources: Minnesota Historical Society, MPR News)
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4/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
Once Minnesota’s first Somalis adjusted to their new lives in the state, other Somali families followed suit and relocated from other U.S. states, engaging in secondary migration. With existing networks that made housing, education and job opportunities more accessible and Minnesota’s emphasis on martisoor—hospitality in Somali—the state’s Somali population rapidly expanded over the years. Minnesota is now the home of the largest Somali community outside of Africa with over 80,000 residents with Somali heritage, 78% of which living in the Twin Cities alone. (Sources: Minnesota Historical Society, MPR News, Sahan Journal)
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5/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was introduced by Congress in 1990, serving as a temporary form of protection for individuals from countries experiencing war, natural disasters and other crises. Unlike refugee status, however, TPS offers no paths to citizenship. TPS was first rolled out to Somalis in 1991, and around 705 Somalis in the United States currently have the status. While 87% of Somali immigrants and refugees in Minnesota are now naturalized U.S. citizens—73% when considering the entire nation—Trump’s recent call to end TPS for Somali Americans will still put many members of the community in peril. (Sources: The National Desk, The New York Times, PBS News)
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6/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
Hussein Samatar was the first elected Somali official in Minnesota, joining the Minneapolis school board in 2010. Other Somali Minnesotan elected officials include Abdi Warsame, the first Somali member of the Minneapolis City Council as of 2013, Ilhan Omar, the first Somali and Somali woman to make it onto the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016 and Congress in 2018, Omar Fateh, the first Somali American in the Minnesota Senate as of 2020, and Zaynab Mohamed, the first Somali woman in the Minnesota Senate as of 2022. (Source: Sahan Journal)
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7/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
Named after the capital and largest city of Somalia, Little Mogadishu is located within the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis and houses more than 8,000 individuals, particularly those with Somali descent. Beginning in the mid-1800s, the neighborhood was home to immigrants from Germany and Scandinavia, eventually containing the most Swedish individuals in Minnesota. Today, Little Mogadishu is a beloved Somali landmark in the state, supporting Somali networks, social and religious gatherings, public services and businesses. Even as increased ICE raids in the area spread fear throughout the community, Somalis in Little Mogadishu and Minnesota as a whole remain resilient and empowered to fight for a future where they can coexist peacefully and safely. (Sources: Star Tribune, MinnPost)
Humanity Under Siege: Somalia Quiz
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Somali History Quiz
Start
1/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
The Horn of Africa is the easternmost region of the continent and comprises Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. Somalia has one of the largest coastlines in Africa, resulting in a robust fishing industry and plentiful maritime trading opportunities with countries around the world. Additionally, nomadic pastoralism is an integral part of Somali culture, and many Somalis have contributed to agricultural development in the country’s southern river valleys. (Source: Minnesota Historical Society)
Next
2/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
In 1960, Somalia became an independent nation after decades of British and Italian occupation in the north and the south, respectively. Nine years later, former president Mohamed Siad Barre led a repressive regime and staged a coup against the previously elected government, driving political, economic and social instability in the country. Following a widespread resistance movement, Barre was eventually overthrown in 1991. However, with his departure, the subsequent lack of central power in Somalia has trapped the country in a horrific civil war ever since. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been displaced within and across border lines, with many fleeing to neighboring countries and arriving in the United States as refugees as well. (Sources: Minnesota Historical Society, USA for UNHCR, Britannica)
Next
3/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
The United States started distributing visas to Somalis in 1992, a year after the Somali Civil War broke out. After being admitted as refugees, many Somalis matched with prominent resettlement agencies in Minnesota such as the International Institute of Minnesota and World Relief Minnesota alongside nonprofit religious organizations like Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. According to Ahmed Ismail Yusuf, the author of Somalis in Minnesota, the first Somalis in Minnesota settled in Marshall, a city approximately 150 miles west of Minneapolis. (Sources: Minnesota Historical Society, MPR News)
Next
4/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
Once Minnesota’s first Somalis adjusted to their new lives in the state, other Somali families followed suit and relocated from other U.S. states, engaging in secondary migration. With existing networks that made housing, education and job opportunities more accessible and Minnesota’s emphasis on martisoor—hospitality in Somali—the state’s Somali population rapidly expanded over the years. Minnesota is now the home of the largest Somali community outside of Africa with over 80,000 residents with Somali heritage, 78% of which living in the Twin Cities alone. (Sources: Minnesota Historical Society, MPR News, Sahan Journal)
Next
5/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was introduced by Congress in 1990, serving as a temporary form of protection for individuals from countries experiencing war, natural disasters and other crises. Unlike refugee status, however, TPS offers no paths to citizenship. TPS was first rolled out to Somalis in 1991, and around 705 Somalis in the United States currently have the status. While 87% of Somali immigrants and refugees in Minnesota are now naturalized U.S. citizens—73% when considering the entire nation—Trump’s recent call to end TPS for Somali Americans will still put many members of the community in peril. (Sources: The National Desk, The New York Times, PBS News)
Next
6/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
Hussein Samatar was the first elected Somali official in Minnesota, joining the Minneapolis school board in 2010. Other Somali Minnesotan elected officials include Abdi Warsame, the first Somali member of the Minneapolis City Council as of 2013, Ilhan Omar, the first Somali and Somali woman to make it onto the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016 and Congress in 2018, Omar Fateh, the first Somali American in the Minnesota Senate as of 2020, and Zaynab Mohamed, the first Somali woman in the Minnesota Senate as of 2022. (Source: Sahan Journal)
Next
7/7
REUTERS/Tim Evans
Named after the capital and largest city of Somalia, Little Mogadishu is located within the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis and houses more than 8,000 individuals, particularly those with Somali descent. Beginning in the mid-1800s, the neighborhood was home to immigrants from Germany and Scandinavia, eventually containing the most Swedish individuals in Minnesota. Today, Little Mogadishu is a beloved Somali landmark in the state, supporting Somali networks, social and religious gatherings, public services and businesses. Even as increased ICE raids in the area spread fear throughout the community, Somalis in Little Mogadishu and Minnesota as a whole remain resilient and empowered to fight for a future where they can coexist peacefully and safely. (Sources: Star Tribune, MinnPost)
Next
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