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The Somalia Affair was a scandal that greatly damaged the reputation of the Canadian military in the mid-1990s.
The original spark for the affair were events that occurred during Operation Deliverance, part of the American-lead Operation Restore Hope that was meant to bring order and humanitarian aid to the East African nation of Somalia.
The Canadian government under Brian Mulroney decided to send the Airborne Regiment Canada's most elite fighting force. Many felt that the airborne was not well suited to peacekeeping and that there were significant discipline problems. Especially troubling were the frequent reports of deep-seated racism, including participation by some members in white supremacist groups. However, the military leadership assured the government that the airborne could serve successfully. Airborne commander Lt.-Col. Paul Morneault, who had argued that they were not ready for a peacekeeping mission, was relieved of his command. He was replaced by Lt.-Col. Carol Mathieu an officer renowned for his toughness and aggression. The regiment was deployed to Somalia in January 1993, setting up a base outside the town of Belet Huen.
The first event of the Somalia Affair occurred on March 13, 1993 when two members of the Airborne, Corporal Clayton Matchee and Private Kyle Brown, brutally beat to death a Somali teenager Shidane Arone who had been caught trying to steal from the Canadian base.
Matchee and Brown were soon arrested and charged with the murder. Photos of Arone's bloody body with a grinning Matchee were taken by Brown and broadcast widely in the Canadian media. The Canadian public was shocked, but the army argued that this was simply the result of two "bad apples" and did not reflect on the rest of the force.
As members of the media dug deeper and soldiers came forward a different picture began to emerge. In fact, sixteen people had passed through the room where the beating and torture was taking place, including superior officers, none of whom moved to halt the abuse. Moreover, the screams of the teenager could be heard throughout the Canadian base.
Previous events also came to light. Only days earlier, guards had shot and killed a Somali youth and seriously injured another while they were trying to steal from the base. The soldiers, wearing night-vision goggles had been lying in wait for the Somalis, in what some had referred to as a "hunting expedition." One army surgeon reported the dead teen had been shot in the head from close range after being wounded. Using lethal force against intruders on the base was in compliance with the orders laid out by the Lt.-Col. Mathieu.
Video footage of another airborne soldier Corporal Matt McKay, was found. When asked if he had any complaints about the mission he stated that "we ain't killed enough niggers yet." Other home movies, shot in Canada, of the Airborne's brutal and demeaning initiation rites found their way into the media.
Adding to the damage were allegations that an attempt to cover-up the events had stretched high into the defence staff. Important records and documents could not be found and there were allegations that they had been ordered destroyed. The command could not account for why it took five weeks to order an internal investigation of the events in Somalia.
Soon the scrutiny of the behaviour of Canada's military outside the airborne turned up more disturbing stories. Incidents of sexual harassment against women were revealed, lapses in discipline, brutal traditions, and a failure in command were found in other units.
The public outcry began in earnest in 1994. The new government of Jean Chrétien's Liberals could argue that most of the events in question took place under the previous Tory government, but some elements of the cover-up had taken place under the Liberals.
In response the Liberals called the Somalia Inquiry in 1994 and ordered the Airborne Regiment disbanded.
Before he could be put on trial Matchee attempted suicide by hanging, he survived but suffered severe brain damage and was ruled unfit for trial. Private Brown was sentenced to five years for his participation in the death. No others were criminally prosecuted. Col. Mathieu left the military to pursue a career in the private sector.
The respected Chief of the Defence Staff General John de Chastelain left under a cloud. His successor General Jean Boyle was forced to resign only a few months after accepting the role when he refused to take responsibility for the destruction of documents by his officers. The Minister of National Defence David Collenette was also forced to resign, partially due to the affair.
The inquiry ran until 1997 when it was cut short by the Liberal government in the months before the 1997 election. The government was critical of the direction the inquiry, arguing that it was exceeding its mandate. The inquiry had run long over its allotted time frame and budget. The decision to end the inquiry caused a furor and contributed to the defeat of the new Defence Minister Doug Young in the 1997 election.
The final report of the inquiry was a striking attack on the support leadership of the Canadian Forces and the Ministry of Defence.
The affair had a number of long lasting effects. It severely damaged the morale of the Canadian Forces and the DND. Recruitment became more difficult. Both within Canada and abroad the once sterling reputation of the Canadian Forces as peacekeepers was deeply tarnished. The public revulsion led to the sharp cuts to military spending introduced by the Liberal government to be little criticized.
Media reports have suggested that the behavior of Canadian soldiers in Somalia may have been at least partly due to side-effects from the anti-malarial drug mefloquine, which the soldiers were required to take. The drug is said to cause hallucinations, paranoia and suicidal impulses.
Canada was not the only country to face problems in Somalia. The Americans were forced to leave the country after eighteen of their soldiers were killed in Mogadishu. Italian troops were photographed raping a Somali woman and Belgian soldiers took photographs of themselves urinating on and burning Somalis. The events in Somalia have also been compared to the American prisoner abuse scandal in Abu Ghraib in Iraq.
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