The Ethiopian–Somali conflict is a territorial and political dispute between the countries of Ethiopia and Somalia. Lasting from the late 1940s, when the Ogaden region was handed over to Ethiopia by the British, into the present day, the tensions culminated in three wars and numerous military clashes alongside the borders. However, because of the Somali Civil War and the lack of a functioning central government in Somalia since the collapse of the Democratic Republic of Somalia in 1991, Ethiopia has the upper hand militarily and economically.