Bruno Loi (born August 23, 1941) is a retired Italian Army lieutenant general, who served as commander of the Italian forces in UNOSOM II from May to September 1993.[1]

Bruno Loi
Born (1941-08-23) 23 August 1941 (age 83)
Allegiance Italy
Service / branch Esercito Italiano
Years of service1960-2004
Rank Lieutenant General
CommandsUNOSOM II
Battles / warsCheckpoint Pasta battle
Awards Knight Grand Cross, OMRI
Officer, OMI
Officer, Legion of Merit

Career

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Service in Somalia

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Loi was infuriated as the result of an American operation in the Italian zone of control on June 22, 1993, since it took place without his permission.[2] Loi was the commanding officer for the Italian forces in the Battle of Checkpoint Pasta.[3] He later re-occupied Checkpoint Pasta after the battle, to do this he used diplomacy to persuade Somali general Mohamed Farrah Aidid to withdraw, annoying the United States, who viewed diplomacy as a waste of effort and advocated a forceful solution.[4] The United Nations asked Italy to remove Loi from his position in July on charges of insubordination, a request which Italy denied.[5] These incidents contributed to a considerable straining of relations between Italy and the rest of the United Nations peacekeeping force.[6] Loi served out the rest of his term as commander, returning to Italy in September.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Tripodi, Paolo (August 2, 1999). The Colonial Legacy in Somalia: Rome and Mogadishu: from Colonial Administration to Operation Restore Hope. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 157. ISBN 978-0333763513.
  2. ^ Rutherford, Kenneth (October 15, 2008). Humanitarianism Under Fire: The US and UN Intervention in Somalia. Lynne Riener. p. 144. ISBN 978-1565492608.
  3. ^ Nigro, Vincenzo (July 5, 2013). "Somalia, la battaglia al check-point Pasta. Il racconto del generale Loi vent'anni dopo". Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Young, Peter; Jesser, Peter (October 13, 2017). The Media and the Military. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 218. ISBN 978-0333719046.
  5. ^ Clarke, Walter S.; Herbst, Jeffrey (March 7, 1997). Learning From Somalia: The Lessons Of Armed Humanitarian Intervention. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 978-0813327945.
  6. ^ a b Woodhouse, Tom; Bruce, Robert; Dando, Malcolm (January 19, 1998). Peacekeeping and Peacemaking: Towards Effective Intervention in Post-Cold War Conflicts. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 176. ISBN 978-0333669228.