Somalia remains the epicentre of one of the world’s largest displacement crises. Around 1 million Somalis are registered as refugees in the Horn of Africa and Yemen region while an estimated 1.1 million men, women and children are displaced within the country. The impact of nearly two and a half decades of armed conflict is compounded by recurrent natural hazards, notably drought, that challenge the resilience and the coping mechanisms of Somalia’s the most vulnerable citizens. |
News and stories about Somalia
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/57cd66314.jpg)
Somali student proves it's never too late to learn in Malaysia
Nawa first stepped into a classroom at age 16, but caught up quickly. Now 20, she is getting ready for university and setting an example for other refugees.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/575ac0b54.jpg)
In Kenya, UNHCR chief assured refugee return will not contravene international obligations
Calls for massive investment in stable parts of Somalia to enable more refugees to return.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/572350586.jpg)
Slovakia receives 37 Somalis from camps in Eritrea
UNHCR has helped resettle a total of 281 Somali refugees so far this year
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/573af2fe4.jpg)
An Olympic dream, shattered
The life of Somali sprinter Samia Yusuf Omar came to a tragic end on the perilous Mediterranean sea crossing from Libya to Europe.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/56d814c06.jpg)
Call to prayer helps dentist's Muslim patients feel at home
Somali dentist, once a refugee herself, fills in the gaps for new arrivals in Norway.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/5684ecc66.jpg)
UNHCR battles cholera at world's largest refugee complex
Four cholera treatment centres have been set up to curb the outbreak that has so far killed 10 at Kenya's Dadaab complex.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/5620d5d16.jpg)
More support needed for Somali refugees going back home from Kenya
Nearly 5,000 Somali refugees from Kenya's Dadaab camps have returned home since December 2014 and a further 4,500 have signed up to go back
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/55f3ce076.jpg)
One war forced a family to flee Somalia, and now another has forced them to return
A Somali family returns to Puntland after 15 years in Yemen, fleeing the country where they had gone in search of protection.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/55e8050d6.jpg)
Student returns to Somalia with dream of becoming a doctor
Student returns to Somalia with dream of becoming a doctor
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/55c4bf436.jpg)
Return to Somalia: No longer a refugee
Flight takes one hour but for most on board is a journey of a life-time.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/55c21f356.jpg)
More than 100 Somali refugees arrive home in Mogadishu from Kenya
Two planes carrying 116 refugees mark start of new chapter in voluntary return process.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/55b651fa6.jpg)
Talented Somali refugee dreams of new life in America to honour slain father who set up Picasso art school
In June 2009, gunmen shot dead his father, co-founder of the Picasso art school in Mogadishu.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/5551fec16.jpg)
UNHCR chief visits Somali port of Kismayo, meets refugee returnees
António Guterres says emphasis is not to push people to go back, but to create conditions for sustainable return and reintegration in Somalia.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/552d0f876.jpg)
UNHCR urges Kenyan government rethink on Dadaab closure announcement
UNHCR ready to work even more closely with Kenya to strengthen law enforcement at Dadaab and support other measures to protect refugees and Kenyans alike.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/54d1fbe86.jpg)
Innovation: Instant Network Schools open up a new world for Somali refugees
Students at the 13 solar-powered ICT centres use Internet-enabled tablets to help them learn and study. Teachers use interactive whiteboards as a vital class aid.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/54b5380d6.jpg)
A safe Romanian pit stop on the road to resettlement
For a young Somali man, the Emergency Transit Centre in Timisoara, Romania, was the first breath of freedom after almost a lifetime in refugee camps.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/545265c26.jpg)
UN chief Ban Ki-moon lauds Somali refugees in Dadaab camp
During a tour of Ifo 2 camp, the UN chief calls the situation in the Dadaab refugee complex a man-made tragedy that would never have happened had leaders listened more to their people.
![](/20160920104225im_/http://www.unhcr.org/thumb4/54369fe16.jpg)
Innovation: UNHCR and Vodafone bring tablet-based learning to 18,000 Somali refugees
Almost 400 teachers will be trained to provide tablet-based education programmes to some 18,000 young people at 13 instant network centres across Dadaab camp.