U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1999 - Somalia

About 420,000 Somalis were refugees in about two-dozen countries at the end of 1998: an estimated 180,000 in Ethiopia, about 140,000 in Kenya, 60,000 in Yemen, some 21,000 in Djibouti, 4,000 in Tanzania, some 3,000 in Eritrea, about 3,000 in Egypt, 3,000 in Libya, 2,000 in Uganda, and more than 5,000 in other countries.

An estimated 250,000 Somalis were internally displaced.

Approximately 50,000 Somali refugees repatriated during the year, primarily to northern Somalia, while new population displacement occurred in the southern half of the country.

Pre-1998 Events

Civil war and factional fighting have dominated Somalia since 1988, causing up to a half-million deaths. Conditions were particularly severe during 1991-92, when violence and massive population displacement produced famine.

At the peak of Somalia's upheaval in 1992, an estimated 800,000 Somalis were refugees in neighboring countries, and as many as 2 million people were internally displaced. Large numbers gradually returned to their home areas during 1992-97, despite ongoing violence and new population upheavals in some regions. Numerous peace negotiations among the country's fractious clans and warlords failed to produce permanent stability.

Politics and Violence in 1998

Violence among Somalia's clan leaders increased in southern and coastal areas of the country, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. Tentative political agreements among the country's leading warlords during the year produced no progress toward peace.

UN aid workers expressed growing concern in March about deteriorating security in Mogadishu, the capital, and in the southern coastal city of Kismayo. Violence in the fertile farming areas of southern Somalia, the country's breadbasket, aggravated existing food shortages. Militia warfare and banditry increased "quite considerably" during the year, according to a UN assessment.

Northern Somalia remained relatively peaceful, however. Political leaders in northeast Somalia declared in July the formation of an autonomous area called "Puntland." The new area, dominated by the Darod clan, became the second region of Somalia to separate itself politically from the rest of Somalia. In the mid-1990s, political leaders in northwest Somalia, largely of the Issaq clan, renamed their territory "Somaliland."

Neither Somaliland nor Puntland has independent political status in the eyes of the international community, however.

Uprooted Somalis and Humanitarian Conditions

The precise number of internally displaced Somalis is unknown, and might be far more than 250,000. Insecurity continued to hamper relief efforts and impeded thorough assessments of the displaced population.

Armed clashes forced an estimated 25,000 people to flee from southern coastal areas during 1998. Tens of thousands reportedly fled from armed attacks in the central southern town of Baidoa and its surrounding agricultural areas. Some populations attempted to flee toward the relative calm of northern Somalia.

Up to 10,000 Somalis fled by boat to nearby Yemen during the year. Some 250 Somalis drowned during the 18-hour trip to Yemen, including at least 180 deaths in a single incident in March. Somalis reportedly paid $40 per person to board Yemen-bound boats.

Heavy flooding during late 1997 and early 1998 affected an estimated 600,000 people and exacerbated harsh humanitarian conditions in southern areas of Somalia. More than 2,000 people died and up to 200,000 became temporarily homeless because of the floods. The floods destroyed crops – the harvest was one-third smaller than the previous year – and ruined about 40 tons of grain in storage.

The floods particularly harmed populations already displaced by the country's warfare. Heavy rains washed away makeshift huts housing displaced families in Mogadishu. Other displaced families in the capital continued to live in abandoned government buildings, schools, factories, and houses left empty by the country's decade of instability.

Health studies in December indicated rising malnutrition in some areas of southern Somalia, linked to population displacement, violence, and floods. More than one-fifth of the children were malnourished in some areas, particularly children of uprooted families.

The heavy floods and lack of medical care triggered outbreaks of cholera and malaria. Malaria caused one-fourth of all deaths in the worst afflicted areas of the south, according to WHO. More than 500 displaced people died of malaria in the town of Kismayo. Southern Somalia recorded one of the world's highest rates of tuberculosis, according to UN health workers. "Nearly the entire Somali population lacks access to education and basic health services," UN aid officials reported.

UN agencies appealed to international donors for $94 million to address humanitarian needs in Somalia, including $15 million for flood relief. Somalia's massive population displacement has created "a humanitarian emergency of extreme magnitude," the UN Human Rights Commission reported. "A better response to the problem of the internally displaced can ease the refugee problem and stabilize the population within their own country.... [But] there is little interest from the donor community in such programs," its report concluded.

Security concerns continued to impede aid efforts. Armed groups looted three humanitarian convoys in Mogadishu during a five-day period in late March. Violence forced relief agencies to suspend operations in Kismayo. ICRC evacuated its international staff from Somalia in April after an armed group abducted eight ICRC workers for two weeks. Other security incidents occurred regularly.

Repatriation of Somali Refugees

Several hundred thousand Somali refugees have repatriated during the past six years, including about 50,000 returnees during 1998.

"In some parts of Somalia, the situation is very encouraging" for repatriation, a UNHCR official reported. "Parts of the country, especially in the south, are not yet suitable for return." Ongoing violence, landmines, flooding, and weak economic conditions continued to slow repatriation efforts.

UNHCR expected to repatriate 75,000 refugees to northern Somalia during the year and issued a $24 million funding appeal to finance repatriation and reintegration programs there. Final repatriation totals fell short of UNHCR's goals, but nearly 50,000 refugees voluntarily returned from Ethiopia, and some 1,500 returned from Kenya. At least 700 of the returnees from Kenya arrived in northern Somalia aboard UNHCR chartered planes.

Returnees to northern Somalia received food packages or money for food purchases lasting three to six months. Returnees also received household items such as blankets and water containers, as well as travel allowances to reach their homes from transit centers in northern Somalia. UNHCR financed community projects in returnee areas to promote viable living conditions.