The Somalia Refugee Crisis Explained

Somalia has been the victim of war-stricken poverty, violence, corruption, crime, and civil unrest for the last few decades. With many nights of hopelessness, fear, starvation, and a lack of basic necessities like schooling, medication, food, or even clean running water, the future seems too far out of reach for most of the civilians. Thousands of Somali families have thus been forced to leave their home country due and finding respite elsewhere.

A group of volunteers in Capital park

Many asylum seekers and migrants now live with a high risk of forced eviction, violence, sexual assault, and abuse.

Where did they flee to?

A majority of the Somali refugees you fled their country are currently living in neighboring counties Ethiopia, Kenya, and Yemen, who have a long history of welcoming Somali refugees with open arms. Some have also made their way much further north into the land of the free—the USA.

What happened in the civil war?

The Somali civil war took place in 1991—caused by a collapse of the government after the president got assassinated and Siad Barre took his place. The violent war took 2.5 million lives and caused millions of others to migrate externally and internally. The war is an ongoing crisis that is still being fought today.

How have the food shortages and floods affected the people?

Riverine flooding and flash flooding in Somalia’s southern region displaced more than 650,000 of the residents in 2020, with many of the displaced living in extremely crowded shelters constructed from plastic bags, cardboards, sticks, and old clothes in dire IDP sites.

There is a scarce amount of medical care, and overall sanitary conditions in the shelters are rather poor—they provide little to no protection from the harsh elements, leaving families exposed to the weather and the risk of crimes.

What’s going to happen in the future?

According to predictions by the UNHCR, the number of displaced Somalis will only increase as the years go by. The ongoing pandemic has made living conditions especially difficult in largely populated IDPs, as well as other places where migrants and refugees live in poor conditions and don’t have access to masks, test kits, or basic healthcare.

Many Somalis who migrated out of the country have been unsatisfied and unhappy with their living conditions and face many additional challenges such as racism or discrimination.

A group of volunteers


Looking for ways to help the Somali community in Columbus, Ohio?

The Somali Community Link works towards solving the housing needs of the Somali community in Columbus, as well providing financial assistance, social integration, and other immigration services. You can make a contribution towards their cause to help the struggling refugees and immigrants assimilate into American society.

Learn more about their services here.

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