During the Second World War, Britain occupied Italian Somaliland and militarily administered the territory as well as British Somaliland.
Faced with growing Italian political pressure inimical to continued British tenure and Somali aspirations for independence, the Somalis and the British came to see each other as allies.
The first modern Somali political party, the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was subsequently established in Mogadishu in 1943; it was later renamed the Somali Youth League (SYL).

In 1945, the Potsdam conference was held, where it was decided not to return Italian Somaliland to Italy.
and that the territory would be under British Military Administration (BMA).
As a result of this failure on the part of the Big Four powers to agree on what to do with Italy's former colonies, Somali nationalist rebellion against the Italian colonial administration culminated in violent confrontation in 1948.
24 Somalis and 51 Italians died in the ensuing political riots in several coastal towns.

In November 1949, the United Nations finally opted to grant Italy trusteeship of Italian Somaliland, but only under close supervision and on the condition—first proposed by the Somali Youth League (SYL) and other nascent Somali political organizations, such as Hizbia Digil Mirifle Somali (later Hizbia Dastur Mustaqbal Somali, or HDMS) and the Somali National League (SNL), that were then agitating for independence—that Somalia achieve independence within ten years.

Despite the initial unrest, the 1950s were something of a golden age for the nearly 40,000 remaining Italian expatriates in Italian Somaliland.
With United Nations funds pouring in and experienced Italian administrators who had come to see the territory as their home, infrastructural and educational development blossomed.
Relations between the Italian settlers and the Somalis were also generally good.
This decade passed relatively without incident and was marked by positive growth in many sectors of local life.

The economy was controlled by the Bank of Italy through emissions of the Somalo shilling, that was used as money in the Italian administered region from 1950 to 1962.

In 1960, Italian Somaliland declared its independence and united with British Somaliland in the creation of modern Somalia.

In 1992, after the fall of the Siad Barre administration, Italian troops returned to Somalia to help restore peace during Operation Restore Hope (UNISOM I & II).
Operating under a United Nations mandate, they patrolled for nearly two years the southern riverine area around the Shebelle River.

By the early nineties, there were just a few dozen Italian colonists left.
All were elderly and still concentrated in Mogadishu and its surroundings.
The last Italian colonist, Virginio Bresolin, died in Merka in early 2010.
During the Second World War, Britain occupied Italian Somaliland and militarily administered the territory as well as British Somaliland. Faced with growing Italian political pressure inimical to continued British tenure and Somali aspirations for independence, the Somalis and the British came to see each other as allies. The first modern Somali political party, the Somali Youth Club (SYC), was subsequently established in Mogadishu in 1943; it was later renamed the Somali Youth League (SYL).
In 1945, the Potsdam conference was held, where it was decided not to return Italian Somaliland to Italy. and that the territory would be under British Military Administration (BMA). As a result of this failure on the part of the Big Four powers to agree on what to do with Italy's former colonies, Somali nationalist rebellion against the Italian colonial administration culminated in violent confrontation in 1948. 24 Somalis and 51 Italians died in the ensuing political riots in several coastal towns.
In November 1949, the United Nations finally opted to grant Italy trusteeship of Italian Somaliland, but only under close supervision and on the condition—first proposed by the Somali Youth League (SYL) and other nascent Somali political organizations, such as Hizbia Digil Mirifle Somali (later Hizbia Dastur Mustaqbal Somali, or HDMS) and the Somali National League (SNL), that were then agitating for independence—that Somalia achieve independence within ten years.
Despite the initial unrest, the 1950s were something of a golden age for the nearly 40,000 remaining Italian expatriates in Italian Somaliland. With United Nations funds pouring in and experienced Italian administrators who had come to see the territory as their home, infrastructural and educational development blossomed. Relations between the Italian settlers and the Somalis were also generally good. This decade passed relatively without incident and was marked by positive growth in many sectors of local life.
The economy was controlled by the Bank of Italy through emissions of the Somalo shilling, that was used as money in the Italian administered region from 1950 to 1962.
In 1960, Italian Somaliland declared its independence and united with British Somaliland in the creation of modern Somalia.
In 1992, after the fall of the Siad Barre administration, Italian troops returned to Somalia to help restore peace during Operation Restore Hope (UNISOM I & II). Operating under a United Nations mandate, they patrolled for nearly two years the southern riverine area around the Shebelle River.
By the early nineties, there were just a few dozen Italian colonists left. All were elderly and still concentrated in Mogadishu and its surroundings. The last Italian colonist, Virginio Bresolin, died in Merka in early 2010.
Italian Somalis