Police, taxes, and the exchange rates of their respective currencies also differed. Their educated elites had divergent interests, and economic contacts between the two regions were virtually nonexistent (Somalia: Problems of National Integration 1). This created some conflict between the two regions right from the start. After Abdi Rashid Ali Shermarke was assassinated, a military group led by Major General Muhammad Siad Barre came to power a few days later. In 1970, Barre declared Somalia a socialist state and in the following years, most of Somalia's modern economy was nationalized. Barre, in 1981, made a very bid mistake that a dictator should never do, get the majority of the people against you. Opposition to Barre's rule began to coalesce in 1981 after Barre chose members of his own Marehan clan for government positions while excluding members of the Mijertyn and Isaq clans. Insurgent groups from those clans initiated clashes with government troops beginning in 1982 (Encarta Encyclopedia: Somalia 1). Fighting broke out between Barre's three clans. In 1988, when a peace accord ended hostilities with Ethiopia since 1977, the fighting only intensified and three years later, in 1991, Barre was forced out of the capital by a united attempt from all of his opposing clans. This left the clans fighting up until now. A Transitional National Government (NTG) was created in August 2000 in Arta, Djibouti which was attended by a broad representation of Somali clans. The TNG has a three-year mandate to create a permanent national Somali Government (The World Factbook 2002: Somalia 1). So far, without any powerful dictator, or the TNG to do its job successfully, Somalia has little hope of having a good leader to push them forward in the right direction. They will have to wait until someone goes and stops the fighting and confusion of every Somali.
In addition to the ongoing struggle for a leader, they have had immense economic problems.
