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Somalia: Update to SOM29591.E of 19 June 1998 on the Shanshiye clan

Current information pertaining specifically to the Shanshiye clan could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

In addition to information contained in SOM29591.E of 19 June 1998 and SOM32622.E of 23 August 1999, a recent study on minorities in Somalia published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), states that minority groups such as the Reer Hamar [Rerhamar], "continue to live in conditions of great poverty and suffer numerous forms of discrimination and exclusion....These problems have arisen as a result of cultural values that segregate and exclude the minority groups from dominant clan societies" (1 Aug. 2002).

According to the United Kingdom's Immigration and Nationality Directorate,

the Benadiri ... suffered particularly badly at the hands of armed militia and bandits as their home areas were fought over by the competing USC factions and the SPM [Somali Patriotic Movement]. USC/SNA [United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance] forces in particular singled out the Benadiri and Bravanese, with a campaign of systematic rape of women. Most homes belonging to the Reer Hamar (a Benadiri people) in Mogadishu have been taken over by members of Hawiye militias....

Amnesty International regards certain minority groups as vulnerable, including the Bantu, the Benadiri, the Bajuni, the Midgan, and other occupational-caste groups such as the Tomal and Yibir. ...

while many displaced minority groups would not necessarily face persecution on the basis of clan membership or ethnicity were they to return to their home areas, they may well face difficulty in regaining their homes and land which were seized by clan militia which took control of their territories (Apr. 2002).

In 1999, the War-torn Societies Project (WSP) in Nairobi and other UN agencies reported to the Danish Immigration Service "that the Benadiri community was still facing serious human rights violations in Mogadishu, and that members of this community would probably never be able to return in safety in Mogadishu" (Denmark 17-24 Sept. 2000).

Quoting the UNDP Human Development Report, another Danish Immigration Service fact-finding mission to Somalia observed that "as individuals are dependent on clans rather than government for protection of their rights, the most vulnerable are those from politically weak clans or non-Somali groups. Ethnic groups, such as Arab and Bantu, and occupational castes, such as the Tumal, Midgan, or Yibir, face exclusion, discrimination and violence" (May-June 2002). However, this source also notes that the "Benadiri" are represented in the Transitional National Government (TNG) (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Denmark. Danish Immigration Service (DIS). May-June 2002. Report on Political, Security and Human Rights Developments in Southern and Central Somalia, including South West State of Somalia, and Puntland State of Somalia. <http://www.udlst.kd/english/publication..s/fact-finding_mission_somalia_2002.htm> [Accessed 28 Oct. 2002]

_____. 17-24 September 2000. "Groups and Sub-groups, Geographical Distribution." <http://www.udlst.dk/udlst_engelsk/sjle1/somaliaeng00/kap7.html> [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

United Kingdom (U.K). Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), Home Office. April 2002. Somalia: Country Assessment. <http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/default.asp?pageid=88> [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

United Nations. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 1 August 2002. A Study on Minorities in Somalia. <http://www.reliefweb.int> [Accessed 9 Sept. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.

The Indian Ocean Newsletter

Red Crescent

Refugees

Unsuccessful attempt to reach two oral sources.

Internet sites including:

All Africa News

Reliefweb

UNHCR

Search engines including:

Google

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