Post World War II

The 1947 Italian peace treaty forced Italy to give up its possessions in Africa. The Big Four (the United States, Great Britain, France and the USSR) took over responsibility for these colonies. They failed to reach agreement and so, in 1948, referred the matter to the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).

Independence was given to Italian Somaliland, after ten years as a UN trust territory under Italian administration. On 1 April 1950, after Italy had accepted the UN terms, the British military government was replaced by a provisional Italian administration. This territory was named Somalia.