Mine ban policy overview

Policy

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Somali Republic was created under a 2004 charter and occupies Somalia’s seat at the UN. Somalia acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 16 April 2012 and the treaty entered into force for Somalia on 1 October 2012. Somalia has not yet instituted national implementation measures, but stated that it is aware of its obligation and is “committed to doing so in the future and to reporting on these measures.”[1]

Somalia submitted its initial Article 7 report for the Mine Ban Treaty on 30 March 2013.[2]

Somalia participated, for the first time as a state party, in the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva, in December 2012, where it made a presentation on contamination and its clearance efforts. Somalia also attended the treaty’s intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in May 2013.

Somalia is a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Somalia is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Several Somali factions previously renounced use of antipersonnel mines by signing the Deed of Commitment, administered by Geneva Call.[3] Most of the signatories that are still active are allied to the TFG.[4]

The Somalia Coalition to Ban Landmines has continued to engage on the Mine Ban Treaty with government officials, as well as with the Somali National Mine Action Agency.

Production, Transfer and stockpiling

Somalia has stated that it has never had production facilities for antipersonnel mines within the country.[5] Somalia’s initial Article 7 report states that “large stocks are in the hands of former militias and private individuals.” The report also states that Somalia is “putting forth efforts to verify if in fact it holds antipersonnel mines in its stockpile.” No stockpiled mines have been destroyed since the convention came into force for Somalia.[6] Most factions involved in armed conflict in Somalia are believed to possess mines.[7] Previously, demobilizing militias have turned in mines.[8] Some mines have been turned in by armed groups for destruction in the past.[9]

No transfers of antipersonnel mines were reported during 2012 or early 2013. The Monitor has reported transfers in previous years.[10] No open sale of antipersonnel mines has been reported since 2009. [11]

Use

There have been no allegations of use of antipersonnel mines by government forces in Somalia. Recent use by al-Shabaab insurgents has been alleged in several news reports, but the Monitor is unable to verify these reports.[12] In the past, there has been use of antipersonnel mines by various factions in Somalia, but in recent years the Monitor has not been able to verify any reports of new use by any of the non-state armed groups (NSAGs) operating in the country.

NSAGs use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in large numbers and media often refer to command-detonated IEDs and bombs as “landmines.”[13] Victim-activated mines and other explosive devices are prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty, but command-detonated mines and devices are not. Monitor analysis of media reports indicates that most, if not all, of the recovered explosive weapons and explosive attacks attributed to mines involve command-detonated or time-detonated bombs. In October 2011, TFG and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces discovered an IED-manufacturing facility in Mogadishu, after which the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) noted, “The presence of improvised pressure plates indicates that [al-Shabaab] intends to employ Victim Operated IEDs, against vehicles or dismounted troops.”[14]

Policy

The Somali Republic signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008.

The exact status of Somalia’s ratification of the convention was not clear as of June 2014.[1] Previously, in April 2013, a representative of the Somalia National Mine Action Agency (SNMAA) informed the Monitor that continuing political instability and a full political agenda has stalled ratification of the convention, but emphasized that the presidency is still committed to ratification.[2] In September 2011, Somalia stated that ratification of the convention was with “the Council of Ministers of the Somalia Transitional Federal Government to be discussed, approved and presented to the Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia to ratify.”[3]

Somalia attended one meeting of the Oslo Process that produced the convention (Vienna in December 2007).[4]

Somalia has engaged in some meetings of the Convention on Cluster Munitions since 2008. It participated in the convention’s Second Meeting of States Parties in Beirut, Lebanon in September 2011 and attended the convention’s intersessional meetings in Geneva in 2013 and April 2014.

Somalia has voted in favor of UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions condemning the Syrian government’s use of cluster munitions, including Resolution 68/182 on 18 December 2013, which expressed “outrage” at Syria’s “continued widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights…including those involving the use of…cluster munitions.”[5]

Somalia acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 16 April 2012. It is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Somalia is not known to have used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.

Cluster munition contamination believed to date from the 1977–1978 Ogaden War between Somalia and Ethiopia was discovered in 2013, but it is unclear who was responsible for the use.[6]

Contamination and Impact

Overall Mine Action Performance: POOR[1]

Mines

As a result of the Ethiopian-Somali wars in 1964 and 1977–1978 (also known as the Ogaden war), and more than 20 years of internal conflict, the Federal Republic of Somalia is significantly contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).

According to the UN, antipersonnel and antivehicle mines were newly laid as recently as 2012 in the disputed regions of Sool and Sanaag in the north of the country.[2] Sovereignty over these territories is claimed by both the self-declared independent Republic of Somaliland and Puntland.

According to HALO Trust, as of April 2014, 221 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs) remained to be cleared in Somaliland.[3] The CHAs covered 19.9km² of mined land of which 9.9km² required full manual clearance while the other 10km² required only mechanical verification.[4]In 2013, HALO planned to deploy a Road Threat Reduction (RTR) system to address contamination on secondary roads. As of April 2014, however, the mechanical unit was not in Somaliland but its arrival was foreseen some time before the end of the year.[5]

In Puntland, mine and ERW contamination was assessed during Phase 2 of a Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), implemented by the Survey Action Centre (SAC) and the Puntland Mine Action Centre (PMAC) in the regions of Bari, Nugaal, and the northern part of Mudug.[6] The LIS was conducted from February to April 2005 and identified 35 affected communities in 47 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs). Of the 35 communities, nine were categorized as “high impact” and nine as “medium impact”; eight sites were identified for spot clearance tasking. The LIS estimated that about 151,000 people—around 6% of the population of approximately 2.5 million—live in mine affected communities.[7]

No estimates yet exist of mine and ERW contamination in south central Somalia.[8] However, surveys completed in 2008 in Bakol, Bay, and Hiraan regions revealed that, of a total of 718 communities, around one in 10 was contaminated by mines and/or ERW.[9] Other contaminated areas lie along the border with Ethiopia, in Galguduud, Gedo, and Hiraan regions.[10]

Cluster munition remnants

Somalia’s level of cluster munition remnants contamination is unknown. Dozens of dud PTAB-2.5M and some AO-1SCh explosive submunitions have been found within a 30km radius of the Somali border town of Dolow. Contamination is believed to have occurred during the 1977–1978 Ogaden War.[11]

Mine Action Program

The UN implements its mine action activities in Somalia according to three geographical regions in the country: south central Somalia, Puntland, and Somaliland. The respective centers responsible for mine action in each of these areas are the Somalia Explosive Management Authority (SEMA), PMAC, and the Somaliland Mine Action Centre (SMAC). All three programs design their strategies, set priorities, and operate under the supervision of, and with the support of, the UN Somalia Mine Action program (UNSOMA) and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

On 4 December 2011, the Somalia National Mine Action Authority (SNMAA) was established under the supervision of the Office of the President with authority to coordinate, oversee, and implement mine action activities in Somalia. In addition, it is responsible for approving national strategies and implementing all obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and other disarmament treaties binding on Somalia.[12]

South central Somalia

On 6 August 2013, the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, signed a law establishing SEMA as the mine action center for south central Somalia under the authority of the SNMAA.[13] On 9 April 2014, the Director of SEMA, Mohamed Abdulkadir Ahmed, reported to the Monitor that before demining can take place in south central Somalia, a stable administration needs to be established and further survey undertaken to determine the extent to which mines are present in that region. According to SEMA’s director, no systematic or planned mine clearance operations were conducted in south central Somalia in 2013.[14]

SEMA reported that in 2013 a “Major increase in capacity took place in South Central Somalia, mainly due to increased access to newly accessible areas” and that “funding from the EU [European Union], UK [United Kingdom], Italy, and Japan made it possible to train and deploy Police explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams across South Central Somalia, with bases in Mogadishu, Baidoa and Beletweyne.”[15] In 2013, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) deployed 19 EOD teams, while the Somali government counted 13 police EOD teams.[16] Moreover, in 2013 the mine action support to Somalia UNMAS/UNISOMA provided four demining teams and two mechanical MineWolf 330. In addition, Danish Demining Group (DDG)’s capacity in south central Somalia consists of five EOD/survey teams for private stockpile destruction and EOD spot tasks.[17] In 2014, the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is expected to deploy three multitask teams for EOD tasks and battle area clearance (BAC) operations.[18]

Puntland

PMAC was established in Garowe with the support of UNDP in 1999. Since then, PMAC coordinates mine action on behalf of the regional government with several local and international partners. PMAC also runs the only police EOD team in Puntland, which is responsible for collecting and destroying explosive ordnance. As of May 2014, UNMAS was providing funds for operations and capacity building and technical advice to PMAC and the police EOD team.[19] In 2014, the Puntland police was due to increase its capacity to two EOD teams.[20]

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) conducted training as well as operational and administrative supervision to the police EOD and risk education (RE) teams from 2008 until 2013. In 2013, MAG changed its strategy to focus on Physical Security and Stockpile Management and Community Safety and Security activities.[21] DDG implements clearance of unexploded ordnances and private stockpile destruction through one EOD team in Puntland.[22]

Somaliland

In 1997, UNDP assisted the government of Somaliland in establishing SMAC which has since undertaken responsibility for coordinating and managing all humanitarian demining in Somaliland.[23] Officially, the SMAC is under the authority of the Office of the Vice-President of Somaliland, who heads the interministerial Mine Action Steering Committee.[24]

Since 2009, UNMAS has worked with the SMAC to develop a transition plan to a locally owned program. At the end of 2011, three of the four benchmarks had been met: a written commitment by Somaliland authorities to continue supporting mine action, disbursement of US$30,000 by the authorities to the SMAC for vehicle replacement, and resumption of mine action interministerial committee meetings. These measures were made possible by contributions from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.[25]

In 2008, the Somaliland police forces counted five EOD teams which continue to constitute the national EOD capacity today.[26]

Commercial and NGO operators

DDG began operations in the country in 1999 with mine and ERW clearance in Somaliland. In 2007, DDG initiated a mine action program in south central Somalia (in Mogadishu) and in Puntland.[27] DDG’s mine action program in Somaliland ceased mine clearance in 2006. As of April 2014, it retained two small EOD teams.[28]

HALO’s program in Somaliland was established in 1999 and since then has employed more than 600 national staff members. As of April 2014, HALO operated from two locations in Somaliland: an office in Hargeisa supporting operations in the west of the region and an office in Burao for operations in the east.[29] In the future, HALO plans to focus its efforts on the Sanaag and Sool regions and continue a village-by-village clearance of mines and ERW.[30] As of April 2014, HALO estimates that, with existing assets, funding, and a stable political and security environment, Somaliland could be declared cleared of mines by 2017 or 2018.[31]

In 2013, MAG conducted non-technical survey (NTS) and EOD tasks in Puntland. MAG halted its mine action program in Puntland in August 2013 in agreement with donors due to changes in strategy and a worsening security situation.[32]

In 2014, NPA was invited by the Somali authorities to implement a program in south central Somalia. As of April 2014, the NPA’s Humanitarian Disarmament program was still being established. By the end of 2014, the project is planned to consist of three multitasking teams able to perform survey, mine clearance, BAC, EOD spot tasks, and RE. Within the same framework, NPA is assessing whether to build the capacity of national demining authorities and operators.[33]

In 2012, The Development Initiative (TDI), the first commercial demining company in south central Somalia, recruited, trained, and deployed four manual clearance teams, six EOD teams, and seven RE teams.[34] Under a UN Project for Special Services (UNOPS) contract, TDI operated along the border with Ethiopia with bases in Dolow and Hiraan.[35] All TDI’s operations ended in December 2013 due to lack of funds.[36]

Land Release

All clearance operations in south central Somalia are implemented primarily on a response/call-out basis. Mine action operations are largely EOD and spot clearance tasks.[37] NTS activities have been conducted when security, safety, and access allowed. Almost 2.5km² of mined area were cleared in 2013, almost all of which took place in Somaliland.

Mine and battle area clearance in 2013 (km²)[38]

In 2014, clearance of the center of Mogadishu of all known explosive contamination was completed. On 9 April, the Somali Prime Minister and representatives from the EU and UNMAS declared clearance complete in all 13 contaminated districts in central Mogadishu.[39] In addition, according to SEMA, EOD teams from UNMAS and DDG conducted mine clearance operations in 2013 along the Somali-Ethiopian border in Gedo and Hiraan regions, clearing 2,500 antipersonnel and antivehicle mines.[40] In April 2013, during clearance operations in Hiraan an UNMAS EOD team came under small-arms fire from local militia. The incident did not result in casualties but one UNMAS vehicle was damaged.[41]

In Puntland, very little mine clearance has been conducted since the LIS was completed in 2005. According to MAG, the impact from mines is still unclear and further NTS and technical survey are required to ensure cost effectiveness and impact of future clearance. In 2013, MAG Somalia reported having cleared 12,500m² of mined land in Puntland.[42] The Puntland police EOD teams, supported by UNMAS, MAG, and DDG, also collected and destroyed 5,882 items of ERW and small arms ammunition across the Puntland region.[43]

In Somaliland, HALO, the only operator conducting mine clearance in Somaliland, released a total of 4.8km² of land through mine clearance and BAC in 2013.[44] Of the almost 5km² released, 2.44km² were mined areas, 2.16km² were battle areas, and 0.2km² was canceled through NTS. During the operations, 124 antipersonnel mines, 29 antivehicle mines, 2,221 items of unexploded ordnance, and 391 items of abandoned unexploded ordnance (AXO) were found and destroyed.[45]

In 2013, HALO deployed two BAC teams in the western regions of Awdal and Waqooyi Galbeed. Two other EOD teams conducting village-by-village ERW clearance were deployed in the regions of Awdal, Waqooyi Galbeed, and Sahil as well as in the eastern regions of Togdheer, Sool, and Sanaag.[46]

DDG in Somaliland focused its work on single village-by-village EOD tasks. In 2013, through spot/roving clearance and EOD tasks, DDG destroyed 1,632 items of AXO in four different tasks.[47]

Article 5 Compliance

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Somalia is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 October 2022.

In seeking to meet this deadline, Somalia must confront a number of challenges, not least of which is the security situation in much of the country. It does not effectively control mine action operations in Somaliland.

Support for Mine Action

In 2013, nine international donors contributed US$31 million for clearance and risk education in Somalia, including Puntland. Accounting for more than 81% of the support was €13 million (US$17.2 million) from the EU, £3.1 million (US$4.9) from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), and ¥319 million (US$3.2 million) from Japan.[48]

For the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, the UN General Assembly assessed US$42.4 million for the mine action component (UNMAS) of the UN Support Operation for AMISOM (UNSOA). These funds were allocated for mine action activities and for capacity-building and explosive-management support to AMISOM. In 2013, an additional US$4 million were provided by the governments of Japan, the UK, and Italy via the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action.[49] For 2014, UNMAS Somalia was seeking US$17.3 million to support humanitarian programming and support to the Somali security sector.[50]

In 2013–2014, combined international assistance was US$73.4 million, making Somalia one of the largest recipients of mine action support.

The main recipient organizations in 2013 were: DDG with US$7.1 million for activities in Puntland, south central Somalia, and Somaliland; HALO with US$4.2 million for its activities in Somaliland; MAG with US$3.2 million for activities in Puntland; and TDI with approximately US$4 million from UNOPS for its 2012–2013 program in south central Somalia.[51] DDG was expecting a slight increase of funding from the same donors in 2014.[52]

Six international donors contributed US$4.2 million to HALO for its activities in Somaliland.[53] The major contributors for HALO’s operations were the US Department of State Office of Weapons Removal & Abatement, the governments of the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Germany, and Finland.[54] In the past, HALO in Somaliland was also funded by the UK DFID, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Julia Burke Foundation.[55]

In addition, NPA was granted US$800,000 by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for mine action in south central Somalia in 2014.[56]

Recommendations

Greater priority needs to be accorded to humanitarian demining in Somalia, including survey.

Summary action points

·         Form a regular coordination body and develop realistic planning for victim assistance, including health and disability services, for mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivors and others in need in their communities.

·         Support local organizations to build a survivors’ network to create sustainable services and outreach given the security situation that has significantly hampered existing efforts to implement assistance.

·         Find ways to address the extensive economic inclusion needs of survivors identified in the 2013 survey in Mogadishu, by providing work and training opportunities.

Victim assistance commitments

The Somali Republic is responsible for significant numbers of mine/ERW survivors and cluster munition victims, although the total number is unknown. Somalia has commitments to victim assistance as a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Casualties

Casualties Overview

At least 43 mine/ERW casualties were recorded by UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Somalia (excluding Somaliland) in 2013. All were civilians. Of the total casualties reported, over two thirds (29; 67%) were children, including 24 boys and five girls; seven were men, and six were women. Ten casualties in 2013 were internally displaced persons (IDPs).[1]

The 43 casualties recorded for 2013 represented a decrease from the 66 casualties recorded by UNMAS for 2012.[2]

Differences between annual reported casualty statistics cannot be seen as an accurate indication of change, due to the lack of accurate and consistent casualty data across the years. According to UNMAS, the significant underreporting of casualties and the absence of a comprehensive national casualty monitoring mechanism were some of the greatest challenges to reducing death and injury; also, the lack of baseline data made monitoring of trends impossible.[3]

The Monitor identified 3,010 mine/ERW casualties in Somalia (excluding Somaliland) between 1999 and the end of 2013. Of these, 1,119 people were killed, 1,464 were injured, and for the remaining 347 casualties it was unknown if they survived their injuries.

Cluster munition casualties

The number of cluster munition casualties in Somalia is not known. In a 2014 statement to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Somalia recognized that there are cluster munition victims in Somalia living in severe conditions with mostly unmet needs.[4]

Victim Assistance

The Monitor identified at least 1,464 mine/ERW survivors from 1999 to the end of 2013.

Assessing victim assistance needs

The Somalia Coalition to Ban Landmines (SOCBAL) conducted a survey of mine/ERW survivors in Mogadishu in collaboration with the Institute for Education for Disabled People (IEDP) in July 2013.[5] The majority of survivors and their families in Mogadishu are in camps for IDPs. The SOCBAL survey team visited eight such camps and also observed the living conditions of the mine/ERW survivors, recognizing their extreme vulnerability as survivors and as IDPs. The overall purpose of the survey was to better understand the number of survivors who live in the city, the extent of survivors’ needs, and if any form of assistance had been provided to them. In total, 850 survivors were surveyed, 719 males and 131 females (including 83 boys and 14 girls all under 15 years old).[6]

Survivors interviewed during the 2013 SOCBAL survey often reported that they had already been surveyed several times, including having their contact details and photographs taken by international and local NGOs, but were frustrated that no assistance had followed.[7]

No baseline information exists in Somalia on the prevalence and circumstances of persons with disabilities, including mine/ERW survivors. The Ministry of Social Development is responsible for compiling, storing, and managing information on disability, but it did not have an information system on persons with disabilities.[8] Following the collapse of the former central government of Somalia in 1991, no ministry has been managing or recording issues related to persons with disabilities in Somalia.[9]

In Puntland, the Puntland Mine Action Centre (PMAC) collected “victim data and mine/UXO [unexploded ordnance] accident reports” from various sources, including police stations, regional liaison officers, hospitals, and other government officials. The PMAC operations section regularly visited police stations and hospitals as follow-up.[10]

Coordination

The Ministry of Social Development is the leading agency for disability issues including victim assistance. At the beginning of 2013, it was reported that there was no specific victim assistance coordination in Somalia.[11]

In April 2013, the director of SOCBAL met with officials from UMMAS-Somalia to discuss victim assistance activities. Challenges to coordination included the lack of a fully functional national mine action center and the absence of a governmental focal point concerned with victim assistance. However, subject to funding availability, there was a will among mine action actors to start victim assistance programs in the near future.[12]

In May 2014, UNMAS held a Victim Assistance and Disability Working Group meeting in Mogadishu. It was the first such meeting ever held to discuss needs, the development of a plan, and possible support for persons with disabilities, including survivors. Participants included representatives of the Somali Federal Government, the UN, SOCBAL, the International Education Development Program (IEDP), the National Disability Council, and the Somali Union for the Blind. The recommendations made in the workshop included: strengthening national mechanisms and the provision of an integrated support to mine/ERW survivors and persons with disabilities through coordination and the development of a national strategy and a work plan; provision of technical support for the socioeconomic reintegration of mine/ERW survivors and other persons with disabilities; and awareness-raising for persons with disabilities and advocacy for disability rights.[13] Disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs) attending the meeting “demanded with strong voice” to be part of the victim assistance decision making process and working groups.[14]

Overall disability coordination was lacking in 2013 and into 2014. A meeting of persons with disabilities held by IEDP in January 2014 called for a forum to meet on disability issues on a quarterly basis that would work to increase the participation of persons with disabilities, establish guidelines and principles for implementing disability rights, strengthen the capacity of the DPOs and service providers, and establish channels of communication with the government and aid agencies which could provide support.[15]

As of 15 October 2014, Somalia had not submitted a Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report for calendar year 2013. It had provided detailed information on victim assistance and the existing lack of planning and services in Form J of its initial Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report, covering the period to March 2013.[16] Somalia did not make statements on victim assistance at the Thirteenth meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in 2013, nor at the Mine Ban Treaty Third Review Conference in 2014.

Victim assistance in 2013

In 2013, survivors in Somalia continued to lack adequate emergency and ongoing healthcare, employment, and training and education opportunities, findings confirmed by the survey of 850 survivors in Mogadishu.[17] Survivors were also concerned about societal discrimination and fulfillment of basic rights.[18] There were not enough qualified medical practitioners, rehabilitation services and facilities, or social inclusion programs for persons with disabilities. There was a lack of mobility and other assistive devices; locations where they were available were often difficult to access due to conflict and poverty.[19]

In general, in 2013 persons with disabilities, including survivors and conflict amputees, continued to face a lack of accessibility, including physical access, to employment and to any of the basic social services provided to others in their communities.[20]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Emergency and continuing medical care

Ongoing armed violence and conflict continued to erode the minimal health resources available. The number of war-wounded patients requiring treatment in hospitals in Mogadishu in 2013 remained similar compared to 2012, though the number of mine/ERW survivors among the total more than doubled.[21] In 2013, the ICRC supported eight hospitals that provided data to the organization; in total, these hospitals registered 2,424 weapon-wounded patients, including 149 patients injured by mines or ERW.[22] Most of these patients were treated at the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS)-run Keysaney Hospital and the community-run Medina Hospital, both situated in Mogadishu.[23] In 2012, 68 people injured by mines/ERW among 2,503 weapon-wounded patients were treated at 11 ICRC-supported hospitals.[24]

Violence against healthcare workers, health facilities, and patients posed a serious challenge to healthcare activities and emergency assistance services.[25] In June 2014, a car bomb detonated at Keysaney Hospital injuring seven people including two SRCS nurses.[26]

The ICRC continued to provide medical supplies, equipment, funds, staff training, and supervision, along with infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, to the two hospitals in Mogadishu where most weapon-wounded casualties were treated: Keysaney and Medina (community-run). In October 2013, similar support began to be provided to Kismayo Hospital. In addition, a surgical team from the Keysaney and Medinac hospitals in Mogaishu assisted staff in Galkayo in treating casualties transferred from Kismayo.[27]

In August 2013, Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) closed all its medical programs in Somalia citing “abuse and manipulation of humanitarian action” following attacks by armed groups against MSF that undermined minimum security guarantees needed to maintain assistance.[28]

Physical rehabilitation including prosthetics

SRCS-run rehabilitation and orthopedic centers in Mogadishu and Galkayo (in Puntland) continued “against all odds” to provide physical rehabilitation services including prosthetics for amputees and people with other physical disabilities resulting from conflict. In 2013, the Norwegian Red Cross Society continued to support the SRCS centers, which received additional technical support from the ICRC Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD).[29]

Social and economic inclusion

In 2013, the ICRC supported livelihood projects for conflict-affected families and vulnerable households, including some households headed by women, and also addressed basic needs through contributions of cash, food, and household items, which allowed families to preserve livelihood assets. ICRC interventions strived to use a multidisciplinary response combining emergency supplies and medical services with long-term livelihood support.[30]

The IEDP provided basic education and skills for persons with disabilities, and sometimes for their children, including literacy and numeracy, computer skills, carpentry and machinery, and career skills. In 2013, IEDP sought to assist survivors in Mogadishu identified in the SOCBAL survey.[31]

Psychological assistance

There is almost no psychosocial support in Somalia due to the impact of the ongoing conflict, despite the significant need for such services.[32]

In August 2014, SOCBAL held victim assistance and peer support training for an emerging landmine and ERW survivor’s network, with the participation of IEDP.[33]

Laws and policies

The provisional federal constitution provides equal rights before the law for persons with disabilities and prohibits the state from discriminating against persons with disabilities. This provision was not enforced and does not address discrimination by private or non-governmental actors.[34]

There are no laws requiring access to buildings for persons with disabilities. In 2012, it was reported that Somalia “did not have, and never had, accessible public services for persons with disabilities.” Three-quarters of all public buildings in Somalia were not accessible for wheelchair users, and there were no public transportation facilities with wheelchair access. Schools throughout the country did not accept the majority of children with disabilities as pupils.[35]

As of October 2014, Somalia had not signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

In 2012, eight donors contributed US$25 million for clearance and risk education in the Federal Republic of Somalia.[1] Accounting for over 83% of the support was €13 million ($16.7 million) from the European Union (EU) and ¥319 million ($4 million) from Japan.

The UN General Assembly assessed $32.3 million for mine action activities for coordination, capacity building, and explosive-management support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).[2] Somalia was the second-largest recipient of peacekeeping-assessed funds for mine action in 2012. South Sudan was the largest recipient.

The combined international assistance was $57.3 million making Somalia the largest recipient of mine action support in 2012.

International contributions: 2012[3]

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[4]

N/A = not applicable