Country of Origin Information Report Somalia July 2008
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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT SOMALIA 30 JULY 2008 UK BORDER AGENCY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE 30 JULY 2008 SOMALIA Contents Preface LATEST NEWS EVENTS IN SOMALIA, FROM 4 JULY 2008 TO 30 JULY 2008 REPORTS ON SOMALIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 4 JULY 2008 Paragraphs Background Information GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 1.01 Maps .............................................................................................. 1.04 ECONOMY ................................................................................................. 2.01 Currency change, 2008 ................................................................ 2.06 Drought and famine, 2008 ........................................................... 2.10 Telecommunications.................................................................... 2.14 HISTORY ................................................................................................... 3.01 Collapse of central government and civil war ........................... 3.01 Peace initiatives 2000-2006 ......................................................... 3.14 ‘South West State of Somalia’ (Bay and Bakool) ...................... 3.19 ‘Puntland’ Regional Administration............................................ 3.20 The ‘Republic of Somaliland’ ...................................................... 3.21 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ........................................................................... 4.01 CONSTITUTION .......................................................................................... 5.01 ‘Puntland State of Somalia’ Charter ...........................................5.02 ‘Republic of Somaliland’ Constitution........................................ 5.03 POLITICAL SYSTEM.................................................................................... 6.01 Puntland ........................................................................................ 6.03 Somaliland .................................................................................... 6.06 Human Rights INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 7.01 SECURITY SITUATION................................................................................. 8.01 Overview ....................................................................................... 8.01 Southern and central Somalia..................................................... 8.05 Mogadishu .................................................................................... 8.08 Somaliland and Punt.................................................................... 8.21 Police and security forces........................................................... 8.23 Southern and central Somalia ................................................... 8.23 TFG forces ............................................................................ 8.23 AMISOM (African Union Mission to Somalia) ....................... 8.31 Ethiopian forces .................................................................... 8.36 Somaliland ................................................................................. 8.39 Punt ........................................................................................... 8.40 Torture........................................................................................... 8.41 Extra–judicial killings................................................................... 8.42 ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES......................................... 9.01 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 30 July 2008. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 30 JULY 2008 SOMALIA Insurgents ..................................................................................... 9.02 Terrorism....................................................................................... 9.06 Clan-based militias....................................................................... 9.08 JUDICIARY ................................................................................................ 10.01 Puntland ........................................................................................ 10.03 Somaliland .................................................................................... 10.04 ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS.................................................. 11.01 PRISON CONDITIONS.................................................................................. 12.01 DEATH PENALTY........................................................................................ 13.01 POLITICAL AFFILIATION.............................................................................. 14.01 Mogadishu .................................................................................... 14.02 ‘South West State of Somalia’ (Bay and Bakool) ...................... 14.04 Puntland ........................................................................................ 14.05 Somaliland .................................................................................... 14.07 FREEDOM OF POLITICAL EXPRESSION ........................................................ 15.01 Charter provisions in Puntland................................................... 15.02 Constitutional provisions in Somaliland.................................... 15.03 FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY ............................................... 16.01 FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA .............................................................. 17.01 Media institutions......................................................................... 17.02 Journalists as targets of violence .............................................. 17.02 Legal position and actual practice ............................................. 17.14 HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS.................. 18.01 Local human rights organisations.............................................. 18.01 International human rights organisations.................................. 18.02 FREEDOM OF RELIGION.............................................................................. 19.01 Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) ..................................................... 19.06 ETHNIC GROUPS........................................................................................ 20.01 Somali clans ................................................................................. 20.02 Rahanweyn clans ......................................................................... 20.09 Minority groups ............................................................................ 20.10 General security position for minority groups .......................... 20.17 Bajuni ............................................................................................ 20.20 Bantu ............................................................................................. 20.24 Benadiri and Bravanese .............................................................. 20.29 Hamar Hindi .................................................................................. 20.31 Midgan, Tumal, Yibir and Galgala............................................... 20.32 Oromos.......................................................................................... 20.35 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS............................. 21.01 DISABILITY ................................................................................................ 22.01 WOMEN .................................................................................................... 23.01 Legal rights ................................................................................... 23.09 Political rights............................................................................... 23.11 Violence against women.............................................................. 23.18 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)................................................. 23.27 CHILDREN ................................................................................................. 24.01 Education ...................................................................................... 24.05 Child care ...................................................................................... 24.11 Child soldiers................................................................................ 24.14 Health issues ................................................................................ 24.17 TRAFFICKING ............................................................................................ 25.01 Human Smuggling........................................................................ 25.04 MEDICAL ISSUES ....................................................................................... 26.01 Overview of availability of medical treatment and drugs ......... 26.01 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at iii 30 July 2008. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 30 JULY 2008 SOMALIA HIV/AIDS........................................................................................ 26.08 Hospitals ......................................................................................