Somalia: Information on whether a Somali of the Ogaden clan born and raised in Hargeisa and who fled Hargeisa in 1988 can safely return and whether the risk would change if the person were a woman
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM18000.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Information on whether a Somali of the Ogaden clan born and raised in Hargeisa and who fled Hargeisa in 1988 can safely return and whether the risk would change if the person were a woman, 1 August 1994, SOM18000.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac4970.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
For information on this topic, please refer to the attached Response to Information Request SOM17829.E of 13 July 1994.
A history professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900 stated that the risk factor for a woman fitting this description would depend on her marital status and her clan's relationship with her husband's clan. An Ogadeni woman married with children to an Isaak man may be safer upon returning to Hargeisa than a single woman. The professor noted, however, there are undocumented reports of men being pressured to divorce wives who are members of rival clans (24 Aug. 1994).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
History professor, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
24 August 1994. Telephone interview.
Attachment
Documentation, Information and Research Branch (DIRB), Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa. 13 July 1994. "Response to Information Request SOM17829.E
