Executive Summary
The continuous forced displacement of Somalis over the past 20 years has turned into a real exodus. In 1991 and 1992, three million people, approximately half of the country’s population at the time, were displaced. Most sought asylum in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Djibouti and Yemen as a result of generalised armed conflict after the fall of the Siad Barre regime. More recently, severe drought, floods, famine and loss of access to traditional grazing grounds and water sources have severely disrupted the already precarious livelihoods of many Somalis, which in turn has exacerbated tribal conflicts over limited resources.
The humanitarian situation, mainly in south and central Somalia, deteriorated further during the first quarter of 2007. Fighting between the Islamist Court Union (ICU), a group of Sharia Courts in control of the capital, and the Transitional Federal Government resulted in additional displacement both internally to the relatively more stable north and externally to neighbouring countries and beyond. In March and April 2007, Mogadishu witnessed the worst fighting in almost two decades, which caused the displacement of nearly 400,000 people.
Against the backdrop of this humanitarian crisis in Somalia caused by severe drought, floods and armed conflict, the international community strives to assist an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), as well as to reach thousands of newly displaced. The current conflict also affects neighbouring countries that have received thousands of new Somali refugees in addition to those longer staying refugees who had arrived in the past.
In 2007-2008, UNHCR will continue to search for durable solutions for Somali IDPs and refugees. Within this Supplementary Programme, UNHCR will assist the newly displaced population within Somalia, including IDPs in Puntland and Somaliland, with shelter materials and non-food items (NFIs). Furthermore, UNHCR will assist new Somali refugees in neighbouring Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Djibouti through a multi-sectoral assistance programme. UNHCR is already assisting hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees in these countries within its Annual Programme. However, the operations in these countries will require additional support in order to continue to provide protection and assistance to new arrivals.
UNHCR also participates in joint interventions of the humanitarian community within the InterAgency Standing Committee (IASC) framework in Somalia. UNHCR activities include the leadership of the Protection Cluster and, with OCHA, the IDP Task Force; profiling of IDPs; establishment of a protection monitoring system; tracking of conflict, drought and flood-induced population movements and building the capacity of national partners. Moreover, UNHCR and UN Habitat jointly lead the Shelter Cluster, with UNHCR being the lead agency for emergency and temporary shelter and UN Habitat assuming responsibility for permanent shelter solutions.
Working Environment
The Context
As of January 2007, out of an estimated population of over seven million people some 450,000 Somalis were still living as refugees outside of the country. About 315,000 live in neighbouring countries (Djibouti 9,000, Ethiopia 16,400, Kenya 194,000 and Yemen 95,000) where they have been recognised on prima facie basis. The rest are scattered in several countries on the continent or elsewhere. Thousands continue to make the dangerous crossing from Puntland to Yemen every year often hoping to move further to neighbouring countries and beyond.
Some 400,000 Somalis are internally displaced and most of them live in and around the city of Mogadishu (250,000), in Puntland (70,000) and in Somaliland (40,000). Most of IDPs originate from rural areas of the south and central parts of the country and fled to Mogadishu after the fall of the government in 1991 in search of security, jobs and basic social services. Others fled to parts of the country they thought would offer them relative safety, such as Somaliland after the former had declared its independence in 1991. Puntland became another destination for thousands of IDPs after 1998. Internal displacement in Somalia is characterised by the incidence of rural to urban migration and loss of clan affiliation and traditional livelihoods.
A lack of security, absence of infrastructure and services, shortage of experienced local partners, multitude of local de facto authorities and disintegration of the traditional clan system are amongst the factors hampering humanitarian operations in south and central Somalia. It is expected that the security situation and humanitarian access will improve through an ongoing negotiation process and involvement of the international community.
The Needs
IDPs, particularly those in urban centres, have very limited access to human rights protection, security and basic services. In absence of livelihood opportunities many of them resort to manual labour and begging. The vast majority of IDPs live in temporary settlements on privately-owned lands. The population density in IDP settlements is very high and the living conditions are amongst the worst in Africa.
As a part of the international community’s response to recent displacement of Somalis, UNHCR will provide protection and emergency assistance in domestic needs and emergency shelter to IDPs inside Somalia and protection and multi-sectoral assistance to new asylum-seekers in Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Djibouti.
Main Objectives
The main UNHCR objectives for this Supplementary Programme are:
- Enhance the protection situation and improve the current living conditions of IDPs, refugees, returnees and other vulnerable populations;
- Promote and search for durable solutions for refugees, IDPs, returnees and other vulnerable populations;
- Assist the newly displaced population within Somalia with emergency relief items, including shelter materials and NFIs;
- Provide protection and multi-sectoral assistance to refugees in Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Djibouti.
With the successful implementation of the programme it is expected that:
- Protection initiatives, such as protection monitoring and population movement tracking, are established and functioning as part of an effective early warning system and lead to a greater predictability and improved humanitarian response;
- Durable solutions, including permanent settlement or return to the place of origin, begin to be implemented for IDPs and returnees;
- NFIs and emergency shelter are provided to the newly displaced in Somalia;
- New refugees in neighbouring countries covered by this Supplementary Appeal receive protection and multi-sectoral assistance.
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