Attachments
Executive Summary
In 2023, Somalia endured its worst drought in decades, followed by the most extensive floods in generations. These natural disasters, combined with forced evictions, military operations, and clan conflicts, pushed displacement to an unprecedented 2.94 million people - the highest since 2014. Forced evictions alone left over 207,851 people homeless in 2023.
Recent data reveals a concerning trend, with over 72,000 people forcefully displaced between January and July 2024. This surge has led to severe human rights violations, the erosion of humanitarian investments, and increased vulnerability for affected communities. In Mogadishu, the forced eviction crisis has worsened, with reports of deaths, physical assaults, and destruction of housing, land and property assets, coupled with the inhumane treatment of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Further to this, Mogadishu struggles with a complex crisis of insecure land tenure, which has profound socio-economic and stability implications. IDPs often have no choice but to settle on private and government land, where they find themselves caught between powerful landlords without clear or lasting tenure security arrangements, resulting in repeated forced evictions which intensify the protection and displacement crises in Somalia. The power imbalance particularly impacts IDPs, from minority and marginalised groups, preventing them from accessing and exercising their basic HLP rights, and leaving them more vulnerable to targeted violent evictions and discrimination.
Since 2018, forced eviction have affected more than 1.5 million people in informal settlements, with more than 80 per cent occurring in the Banadir Regional Administration (BRA) alone. In 2023, 100,907 people were forcefully evicted in Mogadishu, with increased government-led eviction incidents. The threat of forced evictions remains one of the most severe and prevalent protection threats in Mogadishu, particularly for IDPs, minorities, and marginalised households. They disrupt livelihoods, break down community bonds, threaten physical security, and critically undermine people’s search for lasting solutions. Between January and December 2023, government security forces evicted 13 sites, forcing more than 10,000 people to flee again.
This report explores housing, land and property (HLP) challenges confronting minority and marginalised groups in Mogadishu. It centres on how internal displacement, sustained conflict, and environmental changes have worsened HLP issues. Currently, 87 per cent of IDPs in Mogadishu lack clear tenure arrangements and live under constant threat of forced eviction - highlighting the urgent need for holistic, inclusive, and sustainable solutions. Based on extensive consultations and analysis, the report aims to foster dialogues on HLP issues, enhance access to services, and address the legal identity and justice needs of displaced, minority, and marginalised communities.
In commissioning this study, NRC seeks to understand the specific challenges facing marginalised groups and to develop targeted HLP programmes that support lasting solutions. Through detailed analysis of systemic barriers and personal experiences, this report provides vital knowledge to help shape humanitarian response and policy in crisis settings in Mogadishu, Somalia.