The Somalia affair was a 1993 Canadian military scandal, prompted by the beating to death of Shidane Arone, a Somali teenager, at the hands of two Canadian peacekeepers participating in humanitarian efforts in Somalia. The act was documented by photos, and brought to light internal problems in the Canadian Airborne Regiment. Military leadership were sharply rebuked after a CBC reporter received altered documents, leading to allegations of a cover-up. The Somalia affair tarnished Canada's international reputation in what was heralded as "the darkest era in the history of the Canadian military".[1][2]
Eventually a public inquiry was called. Despite being cut short by the government, resulting in a public backlash, the Somalia Inquiry exposed problems in the Canadian Forces. The affair led to the disbanding of Canada's elite Canadian Airborne Regiment, greatly damaging the morale of the Canadian Forces. It also led to the immediate reduction of Canadian military spending by nearly 25% from the time of the killing to the inquiry.[3][4]
- ^ Foot, Richard (2 August 2019). "Canadian Peacekeepers in Somalia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Historica Canada.
- ^ Cohen, S.A. (2010). Israel's Armed Forces in Comparative Perspective. BESA studies in international security. Taylor & Francis. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-135-16956-5. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
genevawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Robinson, Bill; Ibbott, Peter (2003). Canadian Military Spending (PDF). Project Ploughshares. ISBN 1-895722-37-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-17.