European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Somalia Security situation December 2017 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Somalia Security situation December 2017 Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Print ISBN 978-92-9494-839-7 doi: 10.2847/543836 BZ-06-17-490-EN-C PDF ISBN 978-92-9494-840-3 doi: 10.2847/461532 BZ-06-17-490-EN-N © European Asylum Support Office 2017 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Cover photo: © Noel Falk, Operation Free Shabelle, 2012. Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained herein. EASO Country of Origin Information Report – Somalia Security situation — 3 Acknowledgements EASO would like to acknowledge the Danish Immigration Service, Section Country of Origin Information, as the co-drafter of this report. The report is to a large extent based on a joint fact-finding mission report by the Austrian Bundesamt für Fremdwesen und Asyl/ Staatendokumentation and the Swiss Staatssekretariat für Migration, as well as a joint fact-finding mission report by the Danish Immigration Service and the Danish Refugee Council (see Introduction). The following national asylum and migration departments reviewed this report: Belgium, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, Centre for Documentation and Research (Cedoca); Italy, Ministry of the Interior, National Commission for the Right of Asylum International and EU Affairs, COI unit; The Netherlands, Immigration and Naturalisation Service, Office for Country Information and Language Analysis (OCILA); Norway, LandInfo, Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre. Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, UK, gave EASO permission to reproduce the map originally published in Mosley, J. (2015), Somalia’s Federal Future: Layered Agendas, Risks and Opportunities (url). It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO. 4 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report – Somalia Security situation EASO Country of Origin Information Report – Somalia Security situation — 5 Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... 3 Contents .................................................................................................................................... 5 Disclaimer .................................................................................................................................. 7 Glossary and Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 11 Map.......................................................................................................................................... 15 1. Main political-economic developments ......................................................................... 16 1.1. South/Central Somalia ................................................................................................. 16 1.1.1. Elections ................................................................................................................ 16 1.1.2. Cabinet and Parliament ........................................................................................ 17 1.1.3. Federal developments .......................................................................................... 18 1.2. Somaliland and Puntland ............................................................................................. 20 General description of the security situation in Somalia ........................................................ 21 2.1. Overview of conflict ..................................................................................................... 21 2.2. Actors in the conflict .................................................................................................... 21 2.2.1. National Armed Forces ......................................................................................... 22 2.2.2. International forces .............................................................................................. 27 2.2.3. Armed groups ....................................................................................................... 30 2.2.4. Clan conflicts ......................................................................................................... 46 2.3. Recent security trends ................................................................................................. 46 2.4. Impact of the conflicts on state, law and order, and possibilities for protection ........ 48 2.4.1. The judiciary.......................................................................................................... 48 2.4.2. Security forces and state protection .................................................................... 49 2.4.3. Detention and death penalty ................................................................................ 50 2.5. Impact of the violence on the civilian population ....................................................... 51 2.5.1. Civilian fatalities .................................................................................................... 51 2.5.2. Socio-economic life ............................................................................................... 51 2.5.3. Life under Al-Shabaab ........................................................................................... 52 2.5.4. Freedom of movement ......................................................................................... 53 2.5.5. IDPs, refugees, and returnees .............................................................................. 54 2.5.6. Children ................................................................................................................. 55 2.5.7. Sexual and Gender-based violence ....................................................................... 57 2.5.8. Health ................................................................................................................... 59 2.5.9. Drought and food security .................................................................................... 59 3. Security situation per region .......................................................................................... 61 3.1. Geographical overview of the security situation ......................................................... 61 6 — EASO Country of Origin Information Report – Somalia Security situation BFA/SEM map of areas of influence, July 2017 .............................................................. 61 3.2. Security situation by region and regional state ........................................................... 65 3.2.1. Jubbaland State .................................................................................................... 67 3.2.2. Banaadir/Mogadishu ............................................................................................ 78 3.2.3. South West State .................................................................................................. 85 3.2.4. HirShabelle ............................................................................................................ 97 3.2.5. Galmudug............................................................................................................ 103 3.2.5. Puntland .............................................................................................................. 108 3.2.6. Sool and Sanaag .................................................................................................. 111 3.2.7. Somaliland .......................................................................................................... 113 Annex 1: Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 116 Annex 2: Terms of Reference ................................................................................................ 129 EASO Country of Origin Information Report – Somalia Security situation — 7 Disclaimer This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology (2012) (1). The report is based on carefully selected sources of information. All sources used are referenced. To the extent possible and unless otherwise stated, all information presented, except for undisputed or obvious facts, has been cross-checked. The information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed with utmost care. However, this document does not claim to be exhaustive. If a