CHRONOLOGY

Jan. 27, 1991: Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre is ousted from power by rebels of the United Somali Congress (USC).

Jan. 29, 1991: USC names Ali Mahdi Mohamed interim president, but the choice is protested by other rebel factions. Fighting between rival clans begins.

May 18, 1991: Somali National Movement proclaims independent Somaliland Republic in northern Somalia.

May 28, 1991: Ethiopian rebels seize Addis Ababa, disrupting food relief to Somali refugees.

July 15, 1991: Peace talks aimed at ending Somali factional strife begin in Djibouti.

Nov. 17, 1991: Fighting intensifies in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, as Gen. Mohammed Farah Aidid tries to unseat interim government.

Dec. 10, 1991: Heavy shelling in Mogadishu forces a Red Cross relief ship to leave the port without unloading.

Dec. 19, 1991: United Nations agrees to finance 10 of 15 scheduled relief flights to Mogadishu. UNICEF calls for immediate cease-fire.

Jan. 3, 1992: UN Under-Secretary-General James O. C. Jonah meets in Mogadishu with Mr. Ali Mahdi and General Aidid, but says Aidid rejected UN overtures.

Feb. 14, 1992: Somali leaders agree to cease-fire and negotiations on a more detailed peace accord.

March 3, 1992: Cease-fire takes hold.

April 24, 1992: UN approves sending military observers to monitor the truce.

July 5, 1992: The first of 50 UN observers arrive in Mogadishu.

Aug. 28, 1992: UN Security Council calls for the dispatch of an additional 3,000 security personnel, along with 500 Pakistani soldiers due shortly in Mogadishu.

Aug. 31, 1992: Canada announces it will send 750 troops to Somalia on UN aid mission. UN announces decision to send Somalia another 79,200 tons of food, increasing its aid by more than 100 percent.