Somalia: The situation in Gedo region and the treatment of members of Darod, Marehan Farah Ugas subclan

At the beginning of September 2002, the United Nations announced that Gedo region was "temporarily" closed to UN flights and international staff ground operations because of "insecurity" (IRIN 3 Sept. 2002). The office of the United Nations Agencies Working in Somalia based in Nairobi, adds that the "extent and duration" of the closure was under review and would be influenced by "humanitarian needs in the region" (ibid. 2002). According to this source,

Gedo Region has one of the most serious humanitarian situations in Somalia, due to drought and persistent clan wars. A report in July by the UN-EU Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU) and USAID's Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS) warned that up to 200,000 people in the region were considered to be vulnerable to food insecurity (ibid.).

According to media reports, fighting in the Gedo region (AFP 19 June 2002; IRIN 18 July 2002; ibid. 20 Feb. 2002) has resulted in internal displacement of population (IRIN 26 Apr. 2002, ibid. 20 Feb. 2002). The conflict has reportedly driven waves of up to 10,000 refugees into the Mandera region of Kenya (AFP 19 June 2002, ibid. 19 May 2000; IRIN 18 July 2002, ibid. 26 Apr. 2002), and caused "death, injury and displacement to many Somalis" (ibid., 18 Apr. 2002). Distribution of "humanitarian assistance to the populations of the region" has also been disrupted (AFP 19 June 2002). Nonetheless, about 6,000 refugees returned to Somalia (IRIN 18 July 2002) under pressure from Kenyan authorities (AFP 19 May 2002).

The Marehan is reportedly the predominant clan in Gedo (IRIN 26 Apr. 2002). Marehan is a sub clan of the Darod (AFP 25 Jan. 2001). The fighting is reportedly "between an alliance of the Marehan subclans of Rer Hasan, Hawarsame and Habar Ya'qub, which are supported by the opposition Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), and other Marehan subclans sympathetic to the Transitional National Government (TNG)" (RIN 26 Apr. 2002), in particular the Juba Valley Alliance (ibid. 18 Apr. 2002).

For background information on the conflict in the Gedo region, please consult the numerous Responses on the topic available in REFINFO.

No reports on the treatment of Darod, Marehan Farah Ugas subclan could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate 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. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 19 June 2002. "UN Security Council Deeply Concerned by Fighting in Somalia." (NEXIS)

_____. 19 May 2002. "'More than 6000 Somali Refugees Return from Kenya "Under Pressure.'" (NEXIS)

_____. 25 January 2001. "Somalia's Warlords in Thumbnail Sketches." (NEXIS)

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). 3 September 2002. "Gedo Region Temporarily Closed to UN."     [Accessed 3 Sept. 2002]

_____. 18 July 2002. "Somalia; Refugees Forcibly Returned." (Africa News July 2002/NEXIS)

_____. 26 April 2002. "Somalia: Thousands Said Fleeing Fighting in Southwestern Region" (BBC 26 Apr. 2002/NEXIS)

_____. 18 April 2002. "Somalia; Concern over Escalating Violence in Gedo." (Africa News 18 Apr. 2002/NEXIS)

_____. 20 February 2002. "Somalia; Hundreds Flee Fighting in Southwest." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential

Africa Research Bulletin

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.

The Indian Ocean Newsletter

Internet sites including:

All Africa

Relief Web

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).