Somalia: Information on the Darood-Bartire clan, on where their traditional homeland is and whether there is an internal flight alternative for them in Somalia
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM20737.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Information on the Darood-Bartire clan, on where their traditional homeland is and whether there is an internal flight alternative for them in Somalia, 1 May 1995, SOM20737.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab8810.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 general information on the Bartire sub-clan of the Darod, please consult Response to Information Request SOM19022.E of 30 November 1994. P. S. Gilkes in a report on the UNOSOM operation in Somalia associates the Bartire with the Absame subclan of the Darod clan family, who in 1993 were among the Darod clans interested in controlling "all the territory west of the Juba river, and a good deal on the eastern side as well" (ibid., 133). However, their objective has been hotly contested by other clan alliances and factions in the area (ibid., 133-135).
In a recent letter sent to the DIRB, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that
the fact of voluntary repatriation to Somalia does not automatically mean that there is an absence of risk or persecution, nor safety upon return. It would be incorrect to view or construe the fact of repatriation as amounting to the safety or stability of the region, or to use it as the basis or justification for the rejection of asylum claims, or to forcibly return asylum seekers there (10 May 1995).
The UNHCR states that "caution must be exercised in inferring an Internal Flight Alternative based on voluntary repatriation statistics (which numbers do not distinguish gender, or clan affiliations of returnees) ... especially, as often times for Somali asylum-seekers, persecution emanates from rival clan members" (ibid).
Regarding internal flight alternatives, please consult the recently published paper Victims and Vulnerable Groups in Southern Somalia, attached to this Response.
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.
References
Gilkes, P.S. September 1994. The Price of Peace: Somalia and the United Nations 1991-1994. Bedfordshire: Save the Children Fund UK.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ottawa. 10 May 1995. Letter sent to the DIRB.
Attachment
Cassanelli, Lee. May 1995. "Victims and Vulnerable Groups in Southern Somalia." Ottawa: Documentation, Information and Research Branch, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada.
