The Somali African Union was established during the pre-independence period. It was originally known as the Hamar Youth Club, and had a predominantly Benadiri constituency. The party was at the time the only political ally of the larger Somali Youth League (SYL). Both parties supported a ten-year trusteeship period during which the Somali territories would be prepared for independence, followed by the re-unification of Somali land in a Greater Somalia. However, the parties emphasized that the Four-Power Commission should administer the transitional trusteeship body rather than the Italian or Ethiopian authorities.[3]
In the 1960s, the Hamar Youth Club changed its name to the Somali African National Union (SANU).[3] SANU and other parties competed for 123 parliament seats, taking part in the Somali parliamentary elections of 1964. In the general elections held in March 1969, it took home 6 seats.[4]
The Somali African National Union later split into several political factions. As of 2001, its acronym was the Somali National Union (SNU).[3]
