History of Somalia History of Somalia Somalia (; ), officially the Federal Republic of Somalia (, ) and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world, and according to most scholars, it is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt. During the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuran Sultanate, the Adal Sultanate, the Warsangali Sultanate, the Sultanate of the Geledi and the Majeerteen Sultanate. In the late 19th century,
2009 timeline of the War in Somalia civilians, were injured in the fighting. Forty fighters from Al-Shabaab, three government soldiers and three Ugandan AMISOM soldiers were killed in north Mogadishu during a battle when Al-Shabaab tried to attack Villa Somalia, the presidential palace of Somalia. The African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), guarding the palace, became involved in the fighting and was unable to take control of rebel strongholds. AMISOM, however, denied assisting Somali government troops, saying, "...AMISOM pre-empted and tried to do what it should to ensure that the safety of troops and the safety of supply routes are guaranteed... We did a show of force,