Home · War & Conflict · Peacekeeping · The Somalia Affair
Topic spans: 1992 - 1997
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.
Photo of Canadian aid worker with Somali child by Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press.
20 television clips
3 radio clips
Rampant racism in the Airborne Regiment
Broadcast Date: Jan. 15, 1995
One soldier looks to the camera and describes how he hates Somalis because they're "slobs and they stink." Another swings a long pole like a baseball bat and says he uses it for smashing arms and legs. It goes on and on, a disturbing display of candid racism and cruel brutality. Up until now, the deaths in the Somalia affair have been explained as the work of a few bad apples. But home videos, shown in this CBC Television report, indicate that prejudice was widespread and highly dangerous.Rampant racism in the Airborne Regiment
• Before the Airborne Regiment traveled to Somalia, a rebel group of soldiers in the "2 Commando" sector had been identified as potentially dangerous. They held the Confederate flag as their emblem and engaged in reckless behaviour as shown in this CBC Television clip. Lt.-Col Paul Morneau, who was dismissed before the Somalia mission left, didn't support this group's inclusion in the assignment.Rampant racism in the Airborne Regiment
Medium: Television
Program: Sunday Report
Broadcast Date: Jan. 15, 1995
Guest(s):
Host: Wendy Mesley
Reporter: Susan Harada
Duration: 3:08
Last updated:
May 23, 2004
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23 clips in this topic . page
Television
1:59
Nov. 17, 1994
Allegations of violence and an organized cover-up spark a public inquiry into the treatment of Somalis by Canadian soldiers.
Rampant racism in the Airborne Regiment.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: May 23, 2004.
[Page consulted on Feb. 15, 2012.]