Joint Advocacy Paper - Housing, Land and Property Rights in Somalia

More than 4 million forcibly displaced Somalis are living in over 3,700 spontaneous informal settlements that are self-identified locations, with limited or no access to services and humanitarian assistance and inadequate shelters. 81% of these informal settlements are located on private land. Insecure accommodation arrangements trigger constant eviction threats or actual evictions, land grabbing and other housing, land, and property (HLP) related issues, leading to complex protection needs. Diverse risk groups live in these sites, including high numbers of women, children, older persons, people living with disabilities and persons with specific needs, whose living situation in the settlements heightens exposure to various protection risks, including gender-based violence.

Continued protection risks, reflecting decades of conflict and violence, recurrent natural disasters are being exacerbated and further entrenched while access to services and assistance remedies is decreasing. 3.9 million people are estimated to need protection, given the severe HLP violations, such as forced evictions, that continue to be reported, Inadequate shelter and housing is also increasing women and girls risks of being confronted to gender-based violence (GBV).

Thousands of Somalis are confronted with forced evictions, with over 18,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) displaced every month. The need for HLP assistance is increasing, meaning the timely start of prevention activities is crucial to ensure effective implementation.

4.6 million displaced people are identified to need shelter and NFI assistance, with slightly more than 88% of households reporting living in a makeshift shelter according to REACH assessment or partially damaged, or fully destroyed shelter, due to previous conflicts and disasters. Considering the high cost of shelter repairs and the already negative net income of households, reconstruction comes at a high cost that is not affordable for most. Failure to address these issues would mean hundreds of vulnerable households have no choice but to remain in inadequate, unsecured, and often overcrowded shelters, with severe implications for their health, protection, socio- economic situation and personal security - especially for children, older persons, people living with disabilities, women, and girls.