Bevin’s 1946 plan for Somali unification was opposed by Ethiopia

Evidence

To the four Powers initially charged with the disposal of the Italian colonies, however, the British Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, sensibly proposed in the spring of 1946 that the interests of the Somali people would be best served if the existing union of Somali territories were continued. A trusteeship, preferably under Britain, although this was not an essential condition, was suggested. Unfortunately for Somali aspirations but scarcely surprisingly, this solution was strenuously opposed by Ethiopia. Nor was Ethiopia to be distracted from her determination to regain the Ogaden by the promise of British support for her claims to Eritrea, or more directly, by the offer of the port of Zeila and parts of the north-west of the Protectorate in exchange for those areas of the Haud and Ogaden regularly frequented by British protected clansmen in their grazing movements. — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 340

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the ongoing arc of Ethiopian-Somali territorial conflict and the Ogaden question threading through Lewis’s narrative. — connects to: Somali elders petitioned both for and against the Bevin plan in 1946; Ethiopia opposed Somali union and tried to block Somalia’s UN admission. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 481; Reported Somali desire for union was so strong Ethiopia was uninvolved — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 475 (+2 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 340

Related

• Somali elders petitioned both for and against the Bevin plan in 1946 (similarity 0.89)
• Ethiopia proposed Eritrea-style federation to absorb Somalis in the Horn (similarity 0.88)
• Ethiopia sought trusteeship over Somalia while publicly refusing to aid the SYL (similarity 0.88)
• The Bevin plan for Somali unification failed among the four powers (similarity 0.88)
• Ethiopia opposed Somali union and tried to block Somalia’s UN admission. (similarity 0.87)
• Reported Somali desire for union was so strong Ethiopia was uninvolved (similarity 0.84)
• Bevin proposed a United Somalia trusteeship under Britain in 1946. (similarity 0.83)
• British handover of western Somaliland to Ethiopia split Somali lands against their will (similarity 0.83)
• External states like Ethiopia drive most pressure to restore Somali government. (similarity 0.83)
• Shared revolutionary socialism could not bridge Ethiopian and Somali aims on the Ogaden (similarity 0.82)
• Ethiopian interests mobilized Somali elders against Somali unification. (similarity 0.81)
• African bodies proposed arbitration or federation instead of backing Somali unification. (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Ethiopia opposed Somali union and tried to block Somalia’s UN admission. #expands (0.75) — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 481
• Reported Somali desire for union was so strong Ethiopia was uninvolved #contradicts (0.70) — I.M. Lewis, I. M. Lewis, A Modern History of the Somali_ Nation…, 475
• Somali elders petitioned both for and against the Bevin plan in 1946 #complicates (0.60)
• Ethiopia sought trusteeship over Somalia while publicly refusing to aid the SYL #expands (0.60)