Attachments
OVERVIEW
The humanitarian situation in Somalia continued to be precarious in October, with over six million Somalis reported needing humanitarian assistance. This is because of continued armed conflict, insecurity, climate change, outbreaks of diseases, and economic disruption. The Protection and Solutions Monitoring Network (PSMN), which has been tracking internal displacement trends for the past 17 years, recorded some 66,000 internal displacements in October of which 50,000 were due to conflict/ insecurity and 3,000 were due to climate induced shocks (drought and floods).
The overall political and security situation in Somalia were charactered by uncertainty. The relationship between Somalia and Ethiopia remained tense after Türkiye’s efforts to mediate the two over the disputed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ethiopia and Somalia failed. The key factors contributing to insecurity across Somalia were armed conflict between the Somali Security Forces and Al-Shabaab, hereafter referred to as the non-state armed group (NSAG), clan conflicts, and indiscriminate attacks by the NSAG. In October, insecurity affected Jubaland mainly where over 5,000 households (30,000 individuals) were displaced as a result of clan-related conflicts.
Amid a challenging operating context, UNHCR, in collaboration with authorities and partners, continued to provide vital protection assistance to vulnerable internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities affected by conflict, insecurity, and climate change. Finding durable solutions for refugees and asylum-seekers, refugee returnees, and IDPs in collaboration with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), Federal Member States (FMS), and development and humanitarian partners remains one of the top priorities for UNHCR. For the IDP response, UNHCR leads/co-leads the Protection, Shelter, and CCCM clusters.
Some of UNHCR’s key achievements for the month of October are:
▪ In Luuq, Gedo region of Jubaland State, UNHCR disbursed a total of USD 132,000 to 1,200 HHs displaced by clan conflict in July, with each household receiving one-time multipurpose cash assistance of USD 110. Meanwhile in Dhobley, UNHCR, in response to recent displacement in Afmadow district due to armed conflict between the government forces and NSAG provided multi-purpose cash assistance to 250 HHs (2,047 individuals), with each household receiving USD 90.
▪ UNHCR and its partners facilitated the arrival of 503 Somali returnees (177 females and 326 males), from Yemen (89%) and Libya (11%), 26 were classified as unassisted spontaneous returnees. 184 went to Somaliland, and 319 to Puntland, Mogadishu, and other parts of South and Central Somalia. Returnees bound for Somaliland and Puntland received USD 50 and USD 70, respectively, while transport was provided for those traveling to South Central Somalia.
▪ UNHCR Representative Mr. Charles Mballa visited IDP sites in Deynille district of Banadir to assess the conditions and monitor humanitarian response, the sites currently host around 5,100 individuals, among them 633 from various minority groups. The Representative also met with senior officials from the local authority, where they discussed durable solutions initiatives for displaced households, as well as ideas of improving access for humanitarian partners.