Somalia’s recent history has been marred by conflict, famine and state collapse. While the central government and its international partners have managed to take control over the capital Mogadishu and other parts of the country, there remains a high threat of attacks by Islamic armed group Al-Shabaab. Tensions between different clans and geographical entities persist. Millions of citizens have been pushed to leave their homes. Many have remained within Somalia, while others have fled across international borders, either into neighbouring countries like Kenya, or further afield.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR When I was joining IRRI in the first quarter of 2019, I could not have imagined the dynamism and shifts we would experience by the end of 2019. We changed. Simply put. At the milestone of 15 years, we determined that we needed to re- strategise and rethink IRRI, and what…
Introduction After decades of conflict and violence, the Great Lakes region of Africa remains one of the areas of the world most affected by forced displacement. Currently, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), Burundi and South Sudan are among the global top ten countries of origin of refugees, but every…
IRRI’s 2017 Annual Report highlights our work in a year of significant achievement for us, as we continued to work on our three main programmatic areas of: -identifying the violations that cause displacement and exile; -protecting the rights of those who are displaced, and -ensuring resolutions to their displacement are durable, rights respecting, safe and timely. The…
Over the last 25 years, drought, violence and human rights abuses have pushed millions of Somalis from their homes.1 Many have remained within Somalia, while others have fled across international borders, either into neighbouring countries like Kenya, or further afield to Uganda, Europe or the United States (US). As with many large groups of exiles,…
Their priority is not the people of Somalia,” a Somali woman who had recently fled to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya said about peacekeepers in her home country. “It is the government and themselves.” Unfortunately, this view is not unique. Civilians in countries with peace operations often experience a wide gap between them…
International Refugees Rights Initiative (IRRI) today launched a report about civilian perspectives on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), whose mandate has been recently renewed. This report is based on interviews with 62 Somalis and is the third in a series on civilian perspectives of peacekeeping forces in Africa. The report highlights that many in Somalia…
The International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) publishes an annual report on progress made in three focus areas: identifying the violations that cause displacement and exile; protecting the rights of those who are displaced, and ensuring the solutions to their displacement are durable, rights respecting, safe and timely. The 2016 report summarizes our work and looks…
In May 2016, the government of Kenya announced its plans to close Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, by the end of this month, November. The government asserted that one of their primary reasons was security. The camp is home to almost 300,000 refugees from neighbouring countries with the vast majority – over 260,000…
Delivered by Kafia Omar 24 June 2016 Thank you Mr President. The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project and the International Refugee Rights Initiative welcome steps taken by Somalia to strengthen the human rights framework since its last UPR, such as creating the Ministry of Women and Human Rights and ratifying the…
On 4th November 2012, the new Somali Prime Minister, Abdi Farah Shirdon, announced the composition of his first cabinet with two women appointed as part of the 10 member cabinet. Of particular note, Fowsiyo Yusuf Hajji Aden was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs while Maryam Kassim was appointed as Minister…
According to a public statement by SIHA on 23 August 2012, last week a female tea seller was dragged from a bus in the Baidoa region of Somalia by Al Shabaab militants, taken to the bush close by and beheaded. She had been based in Bardaale district (Bay region) and had, in the course of…