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Somalia

Field Reports  In-Depth Reports  Letters & Testimonies

Overview
Somalia has been home to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis for many years. The most severe drought in 60 years has exacerbated an already complex humanitarian situation. Before the drought struck, years of conflict had already displaced nearly a quarter of the population.

Since the Ethiopian government’s military intervention in support of the Transitional Federal Government in early 2007, Somalis have been caught up in widespread violence and daily insecurity. Armed groups – particularly the militant group Al Shabab – have restricted humanitarian access to wide swathes of the country. As a result, aid agencies have struggled for years to safely reach and assist people inside the country.

Current Humanitarian Situation
More than 13 million people are affected by drought throughout the Horn of Africa. Tens of thousands of people have died, and the UN is warning that 250,000 Somalis are currently at risk of starvation. While famine conditions have eased across Somalia, the UN has cautioned that recurrent droughts may cause food stocks to run out again by May. Notably, the death rate among displaced children remains above the famine threshold. Insecurity has also displaced about 1.5 million Somalis within their own country, and another 950,000 are seeking refuge in neighboring nations. 

Somalia has always been a challenging operating environment for aid agencies, and it is one of the most dangerous places in the world for humanitarian workers. The humanitarian context became even more complex when Kenyan and Ethiopian troops entered Somalia late this year with the stated aim of defeating Al-Shabab. This militant organization (designated  a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. since 2008)  controls much of south-central Somalia and recently banned 16 aid organizations – including all UN Humanitarian agencies –  from operating within its territory. As Kenyan and Ethiopian troops battle Al-Shabab for territory, vulnerable populations already suffering from hunger are at risk of being caught in the cross-fire.

Mogadishu, the capital, currently hosts roughly 300,000 internally-displaced Somalis. The city is nominally under the control of African Union peacekeepers (AMISOM) and forces loyal to the Transitional Federal Government. The continuing threat of asymmetrical attacks from Al-Shabab, however, constrains humanitarian access throughout the city. For those aid group that are able to operate there, effective coordination amongst a diverse array of actors is a major challenge.

To the south, over 463,000 displaced Somalis live in Dadaab, Kenya: the largest refugee camp in the world. To the north, roughly 143,000 more Somali refugees live in the Dollo Ado camps in Ethiopia with more arriving daily. In Dadaab, the Government of Kenya has suspended the registration of new refugees. For those that are registered and living in the camps, security is a daily concern. There have been several attacks against police, refugee leaders, and aid workers in Dadaab. Two refugee community leaders were recently shot and killed, and in October 2011 two staff members of Doctors Without Borders were kidnapped. As a result of the deteriorating security context, aid organizations have significantly restricted their work in the camp.

In addition to engaging on the most pressing challenges, Refugees International has made a long-term commitment to urge policy-makers to address the political and institutional underpinnings of this crisis, and to develop a regional approach to support the Somali people. This includes a focus on the development needs of Somali refugees struggling to live in camps and urban areas in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen.

Action Needed
The U.S. Government should:

  • Actively engage in diplomacy with the Kenyan government to prioritize security inside Dadaab for refugees and aid workers and to re-open registration for new arrivals to the camp.
  • Urge UNHCR to allocate additional, permanent protection officers to monitor and respond to protection threats, including child safety issues and incidents of gender violence in Dadaab (Kenya) and Dollo Ado (Ethiopia).
  • Consistently and emphatically call on parties to the Somalia conflict to take all necessary measures to reduce risks to civilians.
  • Urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, to organize a high-level international conference focused on the regional Somali displacement crisis.
  • Provide greater support for Somali refugees living in cities.
Field Reports
  • Horn of Africa: Not the Time to Look Away
    12/12/2011
    When famine was declared in Somalia in July, the world turned its attention to the crisis in the Horn of Africa. Since then, public and media attention has waned, despite the fact that the crisis is far from over. Food production in Somalia will not return to normal levels until the end of 2012 at the earliest. Rising insecurity inside Somalia and Kenya is impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid while greater numbers of Somalis are forced to flee violence and hunger. In the refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, UN agencies and NGOs have responded well to meet the basic needs of hundreds of thousands of new refugees, but protection monitoring and programming remains weak. In Mogadishu, non-traditional donor countries have created much needed new streams of assistance. However, their inexperience in aid distribution and coordination is resulting in vast disparities in the delivery of aid. Informal and unmanaged Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) sites inside the capital have become breeding grounds for waterborne diseases. And throughout Somalia, ongoing violence, banditry, and food shortages have trapped people who have nothing left, and nowhere to flee.
  • Somalis in Kenya: Invest in the Long-Term
    11/29/2010
    While the international community has not succeeded in bringing stability to Somalia, it can succeed in improving the lives of Somali refugees.  The single most important way the donor community can assist the Somali people is through increasing educational opportunities.  Humanitarian assistance alone cannot meet the needs of three generations of Somali refugees.  Donors and the United Nations must provide greater development funding to refugees and host communities living in and around Dadaab.  To improve urban protection, the UNHCR must dedicate more staff for registration in Nairobi and, along with donors, prioritize support for local Kenyan NGOs assisting urban refugees.
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In Depth Reports
  • Last Line of Defense: How Peacekeepers Can Better Protect Civilians
    02/24/2010

    When violent conflict breaks out, the United States and other United Nations member states often call for the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces to create stability and protect people from harm. The UN Security Council has explicitly instructed peacekeepers to protect civilians under “imminent threat of violence” in most UN peacekeeping mandates since 1999. But there is no clarity as to what “protection” means in practice. Which circumstances require action and what level of force should be used? This has resulted in a lack of proper training, guidance and resources for peacekeepers to accomplish protection activities.
Advocacy Letters