Somalia Article

Somaliland: Improving camp coordination mechanisms

As revealed by UNHCR cluster Somalia Dashboard ¹, drought continue to push the dynamics of IDPs, with an estimated 2.9 million people being internally displaced across Somalia/Somaliland. Communities have been experiencing prolonged dry spells, which have resulted in the drying of water pans and boreholes and the decimation of pastures. As a result, a significant proportion of IDPs face moderate to large food consumption gaps, leading families to move from rural to urban zones, and within rural areas to seek humanitarian assistance. New IDPs arrive in desperate conditions and often face numerous challenges accessing assistance after their arrival.

The context of Somaliland has a multidimensional situation of humanitarian crises in both natural and man-made disasters, as some of the Somaliland regions have faced emergency due to climatic shocks and droughts, but also to recent conflicts in Sool region. All these crises have increased the magnitude and effect of humanitarian needs, as well as the number of displaced persons.

The Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster has reported that Somaliland is struggling with a severe humanitarian crisis due to conflicts, droughts, and floods, as well as to the non-occurrence of multiple rainy seasons in 2021 and 2022. These events have led to a widespread of displacement across Somaliland, resulting in significant crop loss, livestock deaths, and further displacement of people.² According to the NDRA assessment conducted in October 2023, 64,755 HHs were displaced from all the Somaliland regions

In response to this, Acted has provided one year camp coordination and camp management programme in Somaliland from January to December 2023 to provide full CCCM-package and information management to the internally displaced communities in 30 IDP sites in Hargeisa, Sool and Sanaag Regions.

Emergency shelter kits for displaced communities in Las anod

With funding from the UNHCR, Acted has implemented a Camp Coordination and Camp management project  in Somaliland. This project has played a crucial role in establishing, strengthening, and monitoring CCCM activities across 30 IDP sites in Hargeisa, Sool and Sanaag regions. By improving the quality of life, safety, and dignity of displaced communities, Acted has adhered to international standards and employed a multi-sectoral approach to enhance protection measures.

Acted has undertaken a significant relief effort by distributing Emergency Shelter Kits (ESK) to 500 households in the districts of Las Anod and Xudun in Sool region. This initiative comes in response to the conflicts that have displaced numerous individuals in these areas. The Emergency Shelter Kits were aimed to provide essential support to IDPs, offering a means of immediate shelter and assistance.

Amal Haji* is a 60-year-old woman who used to live a peaceful life surrounded by her family in Las Anod. Amal and her family -her husband and 7 children- were forced to leave their home after the inter-clan war broke out in Las Anod. The journey to their destination was filled with uncertainty and hardship. Eventually, Amal settled in Halgada IDP site in the outskirts of Las Anod.

For 7 months, Amal and her family have been internally displaced, grappling with the emotional and physical toll of displacement. Their shelter was makeshift, lacking the basic necessities for a dignified life. With support from UNHCR, Acted reached at the IDP site where Amal was living and provided emergency assistance. Through this action Amal received 118 US Dollars of cash for emergency shelter kits.

After the assistance of the cash received through the program, Amal took a significant step towards rebuilding her life. She utilized the funds to purchase essential items for shelter rehabilitation. This support played a vital role in improving her immediate living conditions.

It was the first time that I received the cash for ESK, and I don’t have much experience to say, but it is very beneficial support that allowed me to purchase shelter items.

Amal

This project was conducted from January 2023 to December 2023. Over 22,561 internally displaced households in Sool, Sanaag and Hargeisa have benefited from this one-year intervention.

Amal’s story serves as a testament to the positive impact of this project on the displaced communities.

¹https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/no-going-back-new-urban-face-internal-displacement-somalia

²https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/actionaid-international-somaliland-drought-impact-and-needs

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the beneficiary.