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The Somalia Affair
Canadian peacemakers were lauded as heroes when they went into an untamed land ruled by rebels. Their mission, Operation Deliverance, charged them with restoring order in Somalia. But in fact, the Canadian Airborne regiment was splitting apart at the seams, lacking both leadership and accountability. Murder after murder, the troops came home disgraced. Tracks were covered and responsibility shifted up and down the chain of command during an investigation that would dismantle the army and implicate the government in a high-level cover-up.		Educational activities about The Somalia Affair

	Somalia: culture, chaos and clans		'Belet Huen is a peaceful place'		Canadian soldiers under investigation
	"How can history explain such apparent madness?" asks CBC's Brian Stewart. (TV; runs 8:06)		Canadian forces arrive in Somalia and are met, not with chaos but with welcome from the Somalis. (TV; runs 5:24)		Canadians are stunned to learn about alleged murders and torture in Somalia. (TV; runs 2:36)

	The whistle-blower		Defending the Airborne Regiment		Dismissal with disgrace
	Maj. Barry Armstrong speaks for the first time about what he believes happened in Somalia. (TV; runs 4:29)		Canadian soldiers say they performed good deeds under difficult conditions. (TV; runs 5:21)		Kyle Brown is found guilty in the death of Shidane Arone. (Radio; runs 1:29)

	Rampant racism in the Airborne Regiment		"Bloody and contemptuous images"		Witnesses to murder: the Somalia public inquiry
	"They're slobs and they stink," says one candid Airborne soldier about Somalis. (TV; runs 3:08)		"We promised them peacekeepers, and in some cases, we sent them thugs," says CBC's Rex Murphy. (TV; runs 4:05)		On the first day of the inquiry, the Somali community comes forward with more charges of abuse. (Radio; runs 1:47)

	Mea culpa		Lt.-Col Carol Mathieu's testimony		Somalia debacle a high-level cover-up
	Gen. Jean Boyle admits to misleading the press at the Somalia inquiry. (TV; runs 3:47)		Lt.-Col Carol Mathieu defends the Airborne regiment. (TV; runs 2:10)		The Somalia inquiry releases its final report and says the debacle was made worse by lies, cover-ups and deceit. (TV; runs 10:46)

LINKS Topic from Les Archives de Radio-Canada on the same subject La débâcle somalienne Related Topics from CBC's Archives Peacekeepers and Peacemakers: Canada's Diplomatic Contribution Pearson wins Nobel Peace Prize External sites Report of the Somalia Comission of Inquiry DND: The Mefloquine Issue The CBC assumes no responsibility for the content of external links.

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