The white star on Somalia’s pale blue flag symbolises the five Somali regions: Somaliland, Somalia, Djibouti, Ogaden, and Kenya’s North Eastern Province. No dynasty or government has ever ruled all Somalis as a single entity. Somali irredentists dream of uniting all five. In 1977, Somalia’s dictator, Siad Barre, tried to do so by military force, waging genocide in Somaliland and invading Ethiopia’s Ogaden, but failed.
