(Kenya) and Baidoa and Belet Weyne Somalia) 20 May to 1 June 2002
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Report on political, security and human rights developments in southern and central Somalia, including South West State of Somalia, and Puntland State of Somalia Joint British - Danish fact-finding mission to Nairobi (Kenya) and Baidoa and Belet Weyne Somalia) 20 May to 1 June 2002 The Danish Immigration Service and the British Home Office Report on political, security and human rights developments in southern and central Somalia Contents INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................4 1. POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEVELOPMENTS..................................................6 1.1. OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................6 Bay and Bakool regions and South West State of Somalia........................................................12 Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions...........................................................................................16 Benadir (Mogadishu) and Lower Shabelle regions ...................................................................19 Lower Juba (Kismayo) and Middle Juba regions......................................................................20 Gedo region................................................................................................................................20 Galgaduud and southern Mudug regions ..................................................................................20 Puntland State of Somalia..........................................................................................................21 2. SECURITY...................................................................................................................................23 2.1. OVERVIEW ...............................................................................................................................23 Bay and Bakool regions.............................................................................................................26 Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions...........................................................................................32 Benadir (Mogadishu) and Lower Shabelle regions ...................................................................37 Lower Juba (Kismayo) and Middle Juba regions......................................................................42 Gedo region................................................................................................................................43 Galgaduud and southern Mudug regions ..................................................................................44 Puntland.....................................................................................................................................45 Islamic movements in Somalia, including Al-Itihaad ................................................................50 3. HUMAN RIGHTS .......................................................................................................................56 3.1. OVERVIEW ...............................................................................................................................56 Position of minorities and members of minor Somali clans ......................................................58 Women and children ..................................................................................................................62 Human rights situation in Bay and Bakool regions...................................................................65 4. RETURN OF UNSUCCESSFUL ASYLUM SEEKERS AND INTERNAL FLIGHT ALTERNATIVE ..............................................................................................................................68 4.1. OVERVIEW ...............................................................................................................................68 Internal Flight Alternative and situation of Internally Displaced Persons ...............................68 Return of unsuccessful asylum seekers to Bay and Bakool regions...........................................70 ORGANISATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND INDIVIDUALS CONSULTED............................72 ANONYMOUS SOURCES ...................................................................................................................74 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................75 ABBREVIATIONS ..........................................................................................................................77 LIST OF ANNEXES........................................................................................................................79 ANNEX 1: MAP OF ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS OF SOMALIA, UNDP-SOMALIA, NAIROBI. ..............80 2 20 May – 1 June 2002 Report on political, security and human rights developments in southern and central Somalia ANNEX 2: SOMALI REPUBLIC, DECLARATION ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SOUTH WEST STATE OF SOMALIA, AND SOMALI REPUBLIC, GLIMPSES ABOUT THE SOUTH WEST STATE OF SOMALIA, BAIDOA, 1 APRIL 2002....................................................................................................................81 ANNEX 3: SOMALI REPUBLIC, SOUTH WEST STATE OF SOMALIA, MESSAGE, BAIDOA, 1 APRIL 2002. ........................................................................................................................................................84 ANNEX 4: SOMALI REPUBLIC, SOMALI RECONCILIATION AND RESTORATION COUNCIL, SRRC STATEMENT, BAIDOA, 6 MAY 2002. ...............................................................................................86 ANNEX 5: SOMALI REPUBLIC, SOMALI RECONCILIATION AND RESTORATION COUNCIL, STATEMENT AND APPEAL, BAIDOA, 25 MAY 2002. ............................................................................................87 ANNEX 6: SOMALI REPUBLIC, SOMALI RECONCILIATION AND RESTORATION COUNCIL, MEMO, BAIDOA 13 APRIL 2002...................................................................................................................88 ANNEX 7: SOMALI REPUBLIC, SOUTH WEST STATE OF SOMALIA, REQUEST FOR GOVERNANCE CAPACITY BUILDING, REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT AID, BAIDOA, UNDATED. .................91 ANNEX 8: SECURITY AND ACCESS, MAP OF SOMALIA BY UNCU, NAIROBI. ...................................93 ANNEX 9: ANDRE LE SAGE, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCES, PROSPECTS FOR AL ITIHAD AND ISLAMIST RADICALISM IN SOMALIA, PUBLISHED IN REVIEW OF AFRICAN POLITICAL ECONOMY, VOLUME 27, NUMBER 89, SEPTEMBER 2001.............94 20 May – 1 June 2002 3 Report on political, security and human rights developments in southern and central Somalia Introduction Since early 2001, the Danish Immigration Service (DIS) and the United Kingdom (UK) Home Office, Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) have planned to undertake a joint fact- finding mission to Mogadishu and other areas of southern and central Somalia. However, for security reasons the United Nations Development Programme – Somalia (UNDP-Somalia) and the United Nations Co-ordination Unit (UNCU) for Somalia have so far advised the DIS and IND not to undertake a mission to Mogadishu. In contrast to the position in Mogadishu where the security situation remains fluid, the security situation in Bay and Bakool regions of central Somalia has improved markedly since the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) took over Baidoa and the two regions from Hussein Aideed’s Somali National Alliance (SNA) in the summer of 1999. Against the background of these events and the establishment of a Rahanweyn-based regional administration in Bay and Bakool, as well as reports of the possible establishment of a Hawiye-based regional administration in Belet Weyne, Hiran region, the DIS and IND decided in early May 2002 to undertake a mission to Nairobi, Kenya and to Baidoa and Belet Weyne, Somalia. The mission to Kenya and Somalia took place from 20 May to 1 June 2002. The purpose of the mission was to provide the DIS and IND with updated information on the political-administrative, security and human rights situation in central and southern Somalia. The delegation decided, in the light of recent important developments in Puntland, to also include in its report information about the political, security and human rights situation in Puntland. The delegation to Nairobi and Somalia comprised Agnieszka Al-Fatlawi, Senior Case Worker, Asylum Division and Jens Weise Olesen, Senior Adviser - Africa, Documentation and Research Division, both DIS, Copenhagen, Denmark and Richard Pearce-Higginson, Somalia Country Officer, Country Information and Policy Unit, IND, Croydon, UK. The delegation wishes to express its gratitude towards those agencies, organisations, authorities and individuals that contributed to the information in this report, especially United Nations (UN) agencies in Nairobi and in Somalia, the British High Commission in Nairobi, regional authorities in Bay and Bakool and Hiran regions, Elders and Ugas’ and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Baidoa and Belet Weyne. The delegation also received assistance in Nairobi from the UNDP-Somalia and UNCU who briefed the delegation and arranged a number of meetings with relevant UN agencies, regional authorities, NGOs and individuals in Nairobi, Kenya as well as in Baidoa and Belet Weyne, Somalia. In Nairobi the delegation held meetings