2010 Regional Operations Profile - East and Horn of Africa

Working environment

The situation in Somalia continues to affect virtually all of UNHCR's operations in the East and Horn of Africa. Following a brief period of optimism in the aftermath of the January 2009 presidential elections, fighting between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the militia resumed in May 2009. This displaced an additional 270,000 people, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia to a staggering 1.4 million.

With only limited access to populations of concern in Somalia, UNHCR implements relief operations mainly through local partners. Some 320,000 Somalis have sought protection in Kenya, while some 10,000 have fled to Djibouti and some 50,000 to Ethiopia. In Kenya, efforts are underway to obtain additional land to extend the severely overcrowded Dadaab camps in the north-eastern part of the country. In Ethiopia, UNHCR and the Government have opened three camps to accommodate Somali refugees.

The Somalia crisis has also resulted in a significant increase in mixed-migration movements across the Gulf of Aden into Yemen, as well as to Sudan and Egypt along the Red Sea coast. UNHCR conducts information campaigns in areas of departure to warn of the dangers of crossing by sea. Conditions in the countries of first asylum must be improved to provide refugees an alternative to moving onwards.

Ongoing violence in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has driven some 50,000 Congolese to Uganda since late 2008. In Ethiopia, UNHCR and the Government have cooperated to open a new refugee camp at May'aini for arrivals from Eritrea.

Refugee returns to South Sudan slowed in 2009, in light of the tense security situation and frequent ethnic clashes. Only some 1,000 of an expected 10,000 Sudanese repatriated from Ethiopia in 2009. Similarly in Kenya, fewer Sudanese refugees than anticipated opted for voluntary repatriation. UNHCR continues to assist this group. By contrast, almost 30,000 refugees have returned to Sudan from Uganda, exceeding earlier planning assumptions. UNHCR has initiated a post-repatriation, rehabilitation and livelihood programme in Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya to support the recovery of former refugee-hosting areas.

In addition to Somalia, several other countries in the region continue to host large IDP populations. Some 500,000 Kenyans remain displaced as a result of the inter-communal violence that erupted in their country in December 2007. UNHCR supports Government efforts to assist these displaced people. IDP returns continue in Uganda, with more than one million people already having gone back to their places of origin.

Strategy

UNHCR will promote a favourable protection environment by working to ensure that the rights of all people of concern are recognized. This includes the strengthening of national and local capacity to uphold international protection standards, as well as the development of promotional activities so that these standards are respected.

In Kenya, the Office will focus on widening the protection and asylum space for people of concern. It will strengthen advocacy and ensure consistency across the three main operations in the country, namely Nairobi, and the camps in Dadaab and Kakuma. In Djibouti and Ethiopia, UNHCR will continue to find ways to improve the quality of asylum, as well as the conditions in the refugee camps. It will also seek durable solutions for refugees, most notably resettlement and local integration.

UNHCR aims to ensure that people of concern are treated fairly, efficiently and without discrimination when seeking protection, and that they receive adequate documentation The Office will strive to ensure that reception arrangements are safe, that each individual is registered or profiled in a protection-sensitive way, and that people of concern have access to basic services and, as necessary, asylum procedures.

In Kenya, UNHCR will monitor the border to prevent refoulement and improve access to the territory for asylum-seekers.

The Office will intensify efforts to ensure a safe and secure environment for people of concern, including protection from violence and exploitation. In the East and Horn of Africa, one of UNHCR's priorities will be to ensure that people of concern, in particular children, women and older people, are safe from violence, abuse and exploitation.

In Kenya, this includes strengthening collaboration with the law enforcement authorities in Nairobi, in particular with regard to the protection of refugees in detention, and ensuring protection against sexual and gender-based violence. For Somali refugees and asylum-seekers, UNHCR will support mobile courts to improve access to legal remedies. The Office will promote awareness of legal procedures, as well as advocate for the establishment of a permanent court in Dadaab.

In north-eastern Ethiopia, the Asayta site will be developed with water and sanitation services, health facilities and primary and secondary education. These measures seek to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition, HIV and AIDS, malaria and sexual and gender-based violence in the camps.

In Djibouti, UNHCR and partners will disseminate information on how to prevent gender-based violence and respond to it when it happens. Furthermore, the Office will strengthen community security management systems, establish monitoring mechanisms and improve access to legal procedures. The Office will increase the self-reliance of refugee women by supporting income-generation activities.

UNHCR will expand lighting in the camps to improve security, and will install solar heating panels to lessen the impact on the environment by reducing fuel and firewood consumption. The Office will also issue identity documents to all refugees over 13 years of age.

In several operations in the region, UNHCR will establish services for people with specific needs, in particular older people, those with disabilities, female heads of households, pregnant and lactating women, malnourished children and refugees with chronic diseases.

The Office will work to provide basic needs and essential services to those of concern. In spite of financial and security challenges, UNHCR will work with WFP to provide people of concern in the East and Horn of Africa with sufficient food, both in terms of quality and quantity. It will also strive to make sure that they live in hygienic conditions and have access to health care and other basic services.

In Kenya, UNHCR will strive to raise conditions in the camps to meet the minimum standards. In Dadaab, the Office will work with the Kenyan authorities to establish a new camp, while relocating willing refugees to Kakuma. It is expected that some 14,000 Somali refugees will have been relocated to Kakuma by the end of 2009, and that another 20,000 will opt for relocation in 2010.

In eastern Ethiopia, UNHCR and its partners will work to increase the standards of assistance in the newly established refugee camps of Sheder and Aw-Barre.

UNHCR will intensify efforts to find durable solutions for people of concern in the East and Horn of Africa, in particular for those in protracted exile. It will also seek resettlement opportunities, particularly for vulnerable refugees.

In Ethiopia, UNHCR aims to promote local integration and naturalization for those refugees unable or unwilling to repatriate. UNHCR will also continue to explore resettlement opportunities for refugees who cannot return or locally integrate.

In Uganda, the Office will support durable solutions for refugees and the sustainability of IDP returns by involving the community in income-generating activities and livelihood opportunities. These include the clearing of roads, construction work, micro-credit schemes and projects in agro-forestry and animal husbandry.

Constraints

UNHCR has helped tens of thousands of people to return home in Southern Sudan. Many more have been displaced, however, as a result of attacks by the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army and inter-communal fighting. This has led to insecurity on the roadways and reduced agricultural activity. Addressing the lack of security, establishing the rule of law and good governance, and facilitating reconciliation and local integration are essential in creating a supportive environment for returnees and residents alike.

The conflict in Somalia is likely to continue for the foreseeable future and is expected to generate continued refugee flows into neighbouring countries. In Kenya, facilities in the three camps in Dadaab are seriously strained by the influx of Somali refugees, in particular during 2009. An additional camp is required to absorb the new arrivals, but plans have been delayed while the Government considers the request for land. To reduce tension with the host communities, the expansion of the camps must proceed in tandem with projects to improve the living conditions in the surrounding areas.

The number of refugees in Ethiopia arriving from Eritrea and Somalia could further increase. If this happens, UNHCR would need to review its reception, registration and screening procedures, as well as its assistance capacity. The continuous escalation in fuel and food prices may hamper efforts by UNHCR and its partners to improve the living standards of refugees in the camps.

In Somalia, violence and insecurity have reduced the presence of humanitarian agencies on the ground. UNHCR has, for several years, run its operation primarily through national staff. Humanitarian space is limited and the Office's national staff work in a complicated and dangerous environment. In spite of the many challenges, delivering humanitarian aid is vital for the survival of hundreds of thousands of displaced Somalis.

Operations

The operations in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda are described in separate country chapters.

Although Eritrea is not a Party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it provides a safe protection environment for some 4,900 refugees. However, there are no real prospects for the local integration of the, mostly Somali, refugee population.

The Regional Support Hub in Nairobi provides technical advice and operational support to 17 of UNHCR's operations in the region. Staff from the Hub provide rapid response and technical expertise related to durable solutions, registration, geographic information systems, resettlement and public information. The Hub also assists offices to improve internal control mechanisms, comply with security standards, and provide staff counselling.

The African Union Liaison Unit in Addis Ababa is responsible for UNHCR's relationships and joint programmes with the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Eastern Africa, the African Development Bank, the Economic Commission for Africa and UN agencies. The Special AU Summit on Refugees, Returnees and IDPs took place in October 2009, during which Member States adopted a Convention on IDPs.

Financial information

The budget for UNHCR's operations in the East and Horn of Africa has increased over the past five years as a result of continuing emergencies. In particular, UNHCR has taken an active part in the IDP operations in Kenya, Somalia and Uganda. Furthermore, requirements for voluntary repatriation and rehabilitation have increased steadily.

The financial requirements for 2010 reflect the results of the comprehensive needs assessment undertaken in 2009. In addition to demonstrating clear gaps in protection and assistance provided to refugees in the East and Horn of Africa, these assessments provided a road map on how to address these gaps.

Shortfalls in funding these requirements would inevitably lead to difficult compromises as the competing needs are prioritized. In Kenya, for example, not meeting the funding requirements will mean that some 70 per cent of the refugee boys and girls will not be enrolled in primary education, and that global acute malnutrition rates will remain high in the refugee camps. In Ethiopia, a lack of funding will postpone the opening of additional camps needed to accommodate the new arrivals. For all operations, insufficient funding will lead to a drastic reduction in HIV and AIDS prevention programmes.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2010-2011