SOMALIA COUNTRY ASSESSMENT April 2003 Country Information
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SOMALIA COUNTRY ASSESSMENT April 2003 Country Information & Policy Unit IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY DIRECTORATE HOME OFFICE, UNITED KINGDOM Somalia April 2003 CONTENTS I. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1 - 1.4 2. GEOGRAPHY 2.1 - 2.2 3. ECONOMY 3.1 - 3.2 4. HISTORY Independence 1960 4.1 - 4.2 Siad Barre Regime 1969-1991 4.3 - 4.9 Collapse of Central Government 1991 & Civil War 4.10 - 4.14 United Nations Intervention 1992-1995 4.15 - 4.23 Southern Somalia - developments since 1995 4.24 - 4.28 - Attempts to reunify Mogadishu 4.29 - 4.30 - Kismayo and Juba Regions 4.31 - 4.33 - Gedo Region 4.34 - 4.37 - Bay & Bakool Regions 4.38 - 4.41 Arta Conference 2000 and formation of the TNG 4.42 - 4.49 - Formation of SRRC 4.50 - TNG vote of no confidence of 2001 4.51 - 4.52 Eldoret Peace Conference 2002 4.53 - 4.61 - Change of venue and other peace related initiatives of 2003 4.62 - 4.66 "South West State of Somalia" (Bay & Bakool Regions) 2002 - 2003 4.67 - 4.70 "Puntland State of Somalia" (North-eastern Somalia) 1998-2003 Position in north-eastern Somalia pre-1998 4.71 - Establishment of Puntland 4.72 - 4.73 - Constitutional Crisis in Puntland 2001-2003 4.74 - 4.81 "Republic of Somaliland" (North-western Somalia) 1991-2003 4.82 - 4.87 - Independence Referendum 2001 & Legalisation of Political Parties 4.88 - 4.90 - Death of President Egal, 2002 4.91 - Civic elections of 2002 4.92 - 4.93 - Presidential elections of 2003 4.94 - 4.97 5. STATE STRUCTURES Constitution 5.1 - TNG Charter 5.2 - 5.3 - "Puntland State of Somalia" Charter 5.4 - "Republic of Somaliland" Constitution 5.5 Political System - General 5.6 - 5.9 - Mogadishu (Benadir Region) 5.10 Other areas in central & southern Somalia 5.11 - Lower and Middle Juba (including Kismayo) 5.12 - Middle Shabelle 5.13 - 5.14 - Lower Shabelle 5.15 - Hiran 5.16 - 5.19 - Galgadud 5.20 - Gedo 5.21 - 5.22 "South West State of Somalia" (Bay and Bakool Regions) 5.23 - 5.25 Puntland 5.26 - 5.27 Somaliland 5.28 - 5.30 Judiciary 5.31 - 5.33 - Southern Somalia 5.34 - 5.37 - Puntland 5.38 - Somaliland 5.39 Legal Rights/Detention 5.40 - 5.41 Somalia April 2003 Death Penalty 5.42 Internal Security 5.43 - Armed forces 5.44 - 5.45 - Police 5.46 - 5.49 - Clan bases militias 5.50 - 5.51 Prisons and prison conditions 5.52 - 5.55 Military Service 5.56 - Conscientious objectors and deserters 5.57 - Recruitment by clan militias 5.58 - Demobilisation initiatives 5.59 - 5.62 Medical Services 5.63 - 5.68 HIV/AIDS 5.69 - 5.70 People with disabilities 5.71 - Mental health care 5.72 - 5.73 Educational System 5.74 - 5.75 6 HUMAN RIGHTS 6.A Human Rights Issues Overview 6.1 - 6.5 Torture and inhumane and degrading treatment 6.6 - 6.7 Arbitrary or unlawful killings 6.8 - 6.10 Disappearances 6.11 Abuses by militia groups 6.12 Regional situation for human rights activists 6.13 - 6.15 - Local Human Rights organisations 6.16 - 6.17 - International Human Rights organisations 6.18 - 6.20 Freedom of Speech & the Media 6.21 - 6.22 - Media institutions 6.23 - 6.25 - Media law and practice 6.26 - 6.27 Journalists 6.28 - 6.32 Academic Freedom 6.33 Freedom of Religion 6.34 - 6.37 - Muslims 6.38 - Christians 6.39 Freedom of Assembly & Association - Charter provisions in TNG controlled areas 6.40 - Charter provisions in Puntland 6.41 - Constitutional provisions in Somaliland 6.42 Public gatherings and demonstrations 6.43 - 6.45 Political activists 6.46 - Southern Somalia 6.47 - 6.48 - Puntland 6.49 - Somaliland 6.50 - 6.51 Al - Itihaad 6.52 Employment Rights Trade Unions and the right to strike 6.53 Equal employment rights 6.54 Forced labour 6.55 Child labour 6.56 People Trafficking 6.57 - 6.58 Freedom of Movement 6.59 Internal relocation (internal flight) 6.60 - 6.63 Internal movement 6.64 - 6.67 External movement 6.68 - 6.69 Willingness to accommodate refugees 6.70 Citizens access to identity documents/passports 6.71 Requirement to carry identity documents/passports at all times 6.72 6.B Human Rights - Specific Groups Somalia April 2003 Ethnic Groups 6.73 Somali Clans 6.74 - 6.78 - The Rahanweyn clans 6.79 - 6.80 Minority Groups 6.81 - 6.82 General security position for minority groups 6.83 - 6.85 - Bajuni 6.86 - 6.88 - Bantu 6.89 - 6.91 - Benadiri and Bravanese 6.92 - 6.93 - Hamar Hindi (Indians in Somalia) 6.94 - 6.96 - Midgan, Tumal and Yibir (the occupational castes) 6.97 - 6.98 Women 6.99 General legal provisions relating to women 6.100 Women in Government 6.101 Position in society and discrimination 6.102 - 6.103 Employment 6.104 Violence against women 6.105 - 6.106 Female Genital Mutilation 6.107 - 6.109 Childbirth 6.110 Children 6.111 - 6.112 Child care arrangements 6.113 - 6.115 Child soldiers 6.116 - 6.118 Homosexuals 6.119 - 6.121 6.C Human Rights - Other Issues Humanitarian issues 6.122 - 6.124 Internally displaced persons 6.125 - 6.126 Returning refugees 6.127 - 6.130 Current security situation 6.131 - 6.133 - Mogadishu 6.134 - 6.137 - Middle Shabelle 6.138 - Kismayo and Juba Regions 6.139 - South West Somalia (Bay and Bakool) 6.140 - 6.141 - Gedo 6.142 - Hiran 6.143 - Mudug 6.144 - Puntland 6.145 - Somaliland 6.146 ANNEX A: CHRONOLOGY ANNEX B: SOMALI CLAN STRUCTURE ANNEX C: POLITICAL ORGANISATIONS ANNEX D: PROMINENT PEOPLE ANNEX E: REFERENCES TO SOURCE MATERIAL Somalia April 2003 1. SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1 This assessment has been produced by the Country Information and Policy Unit, Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Home Office, from information obtained from a wide variety of recognised sources. The document does not contain any Home Office opinion or policy. 1.2 The assessment has been prepared for background purposes for those involved in the asylum/human rights determination process. The information it contains is not exhaustive. It concentrates on the issues most commonly raised in asylum/human rights claims made in the United Kingdom. 1.3 The assessment is sourced throughout. It is intended to be used by caseworkers as a signpost to the source material, which has been made available to them. The vast majority of the source material is readily available in the public domain. These sources have been checked for currency, and as far as can be ascertained, remained relevant and up to date at the time the document was issued. 1.4 It is intended to revise the assessment on a six-monthly basis while the country remains within the top 35 asylum-seeker producing countries in the United Kingdom. Back to contents 2. GEOGRAPHY 2.1 Somalia (known officially as the Somali Democratic Republic) has an area of 637,657 sq. km and borders Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. In mid 2000 the UN estimated the population to be 8,778,000. The largest city is the capital Mogadishu (population estimated in 2000 as 1,219,000). [1a] Other important towns include Hargeisa (capital of the self-declared independent "Republic of Somaliland" in the north- west), Kismayo, Baidoa, Berbera, Bossaso, Garowe (the "Puntland" capital), Merka and Brava (it should however be noted that there are frequently variations in the spelling of place names in Somalia). [1a][47] The majority of the population is Sunni Muslim; there is also a small Christian community, mostly Roman Catholic. [1b] 2.2 Somali society is characterised by membership of clan-families, which are sub- divided into clans, and many sub-clans; in addition there are a number of minority groups, many of which are also divided into sub groups (see the section: Ethnic Groups). [8] The clan structure comprises the four major "noble" clan-families of Darod, Hawiye, Isaaq and Dir. "Noble" in this sense refers to the widespread Somali belief that members of the major clans are descended from a common Somali ancestor. Two further clans, the Digil and Mirifle (also collectively referred to as Rahanweyn), take, in many aspects, an intermediate position between the main Somali clans and the minority groups. [1a][8] Large numbers of ethnic Somalis also live in neighbouring Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. [8] The national language is Somali; it was adopted as the official language in 1972, its written form uses a modified Roman alphabet. [1a] Arabic is also in official use and both English and Italian are widely Somalia April 2003 spoken. [1b] In addition to these languages some minority groups speak their own language. [8] (For further information on Geography refer to Africa South of the Sahara -source [1a]) Back to contents 3. ECONOMY 3.1 Somalia is very poor with a market-based economy in which most of the work force is employed as pastoral nomads (an estimated 80%) or subsistence farmers. [1a][2a][38] The economy is primarily agricultural and is based mainly on herding camels, sheep, goats and cattle (the latter mostly in the southern regions). The principal exports are livestock and charcoal, in the fertile area between the Juba and Shabelle rivers in the south bananas are the principal cash crop, there is very little industry. [1a] Insecurity and adverse weather have affected the already poor economic situation. Throughout 2002 Saudi Arabia maintained a livestock ban, this caused further damage to the already devastated economy. The countries economic problems have given rise to serious unemployment problems.