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Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Surveys
Mogadishu has hosted a very large Internally Displaced Person (IDP) population since the fall of the last Somali government in January 1991. This population largely has been overwhelmingly ignored by everyone. The IDPs have subsisted in incredibly poor conditions, with no security of any form. They have been the constant target of militias, criminals, rogue businessmen, unscrupulous local and international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), local host communities, and even other IDPs. Security in the camps is appalling, with local militias and their families, as well as local criminal gangs and rogue businessmen basically using the IDPs as a source of indentured labour.
In 2007, SAACID was contracted by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to conduct a citywide survey of all Internally Displaced Person’s (IDPs) settlements in the city in February 2007. In turn, DRC had been contracted by OCHA and UNHCR to do the job. The last relatively comprehensive survey of IDPs in Mogadishu City was conducted in 1995. DRC its UN partners had estimated that there were approximately 200,000 IDPs in the city in some 200 settlements.
Entry into the camps has long been taboo for the UN and international agencies, as they have found it impossible to unravel the Byzantine relationships in play.
SAACID initiated a mobilisation workshop for community leader representatives from every one of the 16 districts in the city. This successful workshop was conducted on 27 and 28 January 2007.
A series of IDP leader 1-day workshops were then implemented to explain the programme and its intentions and objectives to all IDP settlements in the city. Some 780 settlement representatives attended those 1-day workshops.
The 1-day workshops explained the exact intentions of the programme – collecting information, so that a structured and sustained programme intervention could then be designed by DRC and UN agencies. SAACID made it clear that it was not in a position to distribute, food or other aid. Most IDP settlement representatives initially resisted yet another survey from an NGO or other agency. They explained that people were always collecting information (for the past decade, but that nothing had ever happened) and were initially not inclined to participate in this survey process. They were impressed with the level of transparency of this programme; and the comprehensive citywide survey structure; and with SAACID putting its existing reputation on the line and saying that something positive would happen for the IDP community this time.
The IDP settlement representatives then had the role of:
SAACID management was responsible for facilitating all the workshops, selecting and training the surveyors and mobilisers and solving the myriad of problems associated with safe entry into the settlements and the successful completion of the surveys in all existing IDP settlements.
SAACID conducted 2 survey formats. First, a general survey, that asked posed questions to the IDP settlement leaders about the general situation in their respective settlements. Second, a specific random individual sampling of each settlement to garner specific individual representative information for all IDPs in the city.
Settlements were established in abandoned government structures, private structures and on government and private land.
Some IDPs refused to answer questions relating to HIV/AIDS and sub-clan affiliation, for fear of being ridiculed or targeted, as they have been in the past.
IDPs indicated that they faced the daily threat of being murdered, raped, beaten, used as forced labour and being forcefully evicted. Unemployment exceeded 90% and most got their daily bread from begging or doing an hour or 2 of menial chores for richer families.
Many constraints were faced in completing the survey:
In 2007, SAACID was contracted by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to conduct a citywide survey of all Internally Displaced Person’s (IDPs) settlements in the city in February 2007. In turn, DRC had been contracted by OCHA and UNHCR to do the job. The last relatively comprehensive survey of IDPs in Mogadishu City was conducted in 1995. DRC its UN partners had estimated that there were approximately 200,000 IDPs in the city in some 200 settlements.
Entry into the camps has long been taboo for the UN and international agencies, as they have found it impossible to unravel the Byzantine relationships in play.
SAACID initiated a mobilisation workshop for community leader representatives from every one of the 16 districts in the city. This successful workshop was conducted on 27 and 28 January 2007.
A series of IDP leader 1-day workshops were then implemented to explain the programme and its intentions and objectives to all IDP settlements in the city. Some 780 settlement representatives attended those 1-day workshops.
The 1-day workshops explained the exact intentions of the programme – collecting information, so that a structured and sustained programme intervention could then be designed by DRC and UN agencies. SAACID made it clear that it was not in a position to distribute, food or other aid. Most IDP settlement representatives initially resisted yet another survey from an NGO or other agency. They explained that people were always collecting information (for the past decade, but that nothing had ever happened) and were initially not inclined to participate in this survey process. They were impressed with the level of transparency of this programme; and the comprehensive citywide survey structure; and with SAACID putting its existing reputation on the line and saying that something positive would happen for the IDP community this time.
The IDP settlement representatives then had the role of:
- Conveying the technicalities, intentions and execution of the IDP profiling programme to the residents of the settlements they represented;
- Assist with any problems and misunderstandings;
- Identify any ‘gatekeepers’ who might pose a security threat, or claim rival authority, and help with strategies to overcome security obstacles to survey implementation;
- Complete the general questionnaire for each settlement.
SAACID management was responsible for facilitating all the workshops, selecting and training the surveyors and mobilisers and solving the myriad of problems associated with safe entry into the settlements and the successful completion of the surveys in all existing IDP settlements.
SAACID conducted 2 survey formats. First, a general survey, that asked posed questions to the IDP settlement leaders about the general situation in their respective settlements. Second, a specific random individual sampling of each settlement to garner specific individual representative information for all IDPs in the city.
Settlements were established in abandoned government structures, private structures and on government and private land.
Some IDPs refused to answer questions relating to HIV/AIDS and sub-clan affiliation, for fear of being ridiculed or targeted, as they have been in the past.
IDPs indicated that they faced the daily threat of being murdered, raped, beaten, used as forced labour and being forcefully evicted. Unemployment exceeded 90% and most got their daily bread from begging or doing an hour or 2 of menial chores for richer families.
Many constraints were faced in completing the survey:
- Ongoing suspicion about the intentions of the survey;
- The surveyors were mortared;
- The surveyors were shot at;
- The surveyors were threatened;
- IDP settlements were cleared by Ethiopian troops and TFG militia during the survey period;
- Ethiopian troops and TFG militia refused entry into several camps during the survey period;
- Alternative leaders create difficult and complex disputes that had to be solved;
- General insecurity in most of the settlements;
- General very poor health and hygiene in all the settlements.
On 28 June 2007, SAACID-Australia signed a contract with UNHCR to conduct a rapid assessment survey of IDPs in all 16 districts of Mogadishu, and in 7 sites in Afgoye District of Lower Shabelle.
The assessment was designed to update data taken in February 2007; but which needed to be modified because of the heavy fighting in March-April; and the intensifying insurgency in Mogadishu.
The survey was conducted between 11-28 June. It was delayed somewhat by the invasion of SAACID-Somalia’s compound by Ethiopian military and TFG police from 18-22 June - in which they destroyed or looted more than US $28,000 dollars in fixtures and equipment, and stole many document files (including the data from 5 of the districts for the rapid assessment) – and imprisoned 4 SAACID-Somalia staff (including the Country Director) for being members of Al Qaeda. The staff were released 4 days later, after very strong pressure from local and international leaders. No compensation has been given for the destruction and looting.
For a comprehensive look at the current situation, a 4-tiered methodology was used, including:
IDP Surveys and Related Reports:
UNHCR IDP Profiling Report - May 2007
GPS Mapping of all IDP Settlements 2007
Key Informant Narrative Report -June 2007
Focus Group Report - June 2007
IDP Movements January - June 2007
Visual Assessment of IDP Settlements - July 2007
Relief Web Humanitarian Profile - June 2008
The assessment was designed to update data taken in February 2007; but which needed to be modified because of the heavy fighting in March-April; and the intensifying insurgency in Mogadishu.
The survey was conducted between 11-28 June. It was delayed somewhat by the invasion of SAACID-Somalia’s compound by Ethiopian military and TFG police from 18-22 June - in which they destroyed or looted more than US $28,000 dollars in fixtures and equipment, and stole many document files (including the data from 5 of the districts for the rapid assessment) – and imprisoned 4 SAACID-Somalia staff (including the Country Director) for being members of Al Qaeda. The staff were released 4 days later, after very strong pressure from local and international leaders. No compensation has been given for the destruction and looting.
For a comprehensive look at the current situation, a 4-tiered methodology was used, including:
- Individual interviews with key informants from all 16 districts of Mogadishu (a minimum of 6 per district – including a minimum of 2 females and 1 minority leader); and 4 areas in Afgoye (12 key leaders);
- A rapid visual assessment of all 260 IDP settlements in Mogadishu that were surveyed in February; as well as those identified in Afgoye;
- Male and female focus group discussions (10 per group) of 4 randomly selected IDP settlements in each district of Mogadishu; and 7 randomly selected camps in Afgoye District;
- 1,840 random individual surveys of IDPs from all 16 districts of Mogadishu and 7 randomly chosen settlements in Afgoye district of Lower Shabelle.
- Assess the current situation of IDPs;
- Assess how the situation of IDPs had changed since the February survey;
- Assess IDP access to existing or new settlements in the city;
- Assess the level of newly displaced and existing displaced within the city, and where they were residing, and how were they being hosted and absorbed;
- Assess the future intentions of IDPs, in terms relocation to places within Mogadishu, or relocation to “place of origin.”
IDP Surveys and Related Reports:
UNHCR IDP Profiling Report - May 2007
GPS Mapping of all IDP Settlements 2007
Key Informant Narrative Report -June 2007
Focus Group Report - June 2007
IDP Movements January - June 2007
Visual Assessment of IDP Settlements - July 2007
Relief Web Humanitarian Profile - June 2008