Basic information* Capital: Mogadishu
Population: 10.7 million (UN, 2005)
Area: 637,657sq km (246,201 sq miles)
Major religions: Islam
Major languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, English
Life expectancy: 45 years (men), 47 years (women) (UN)
President: Abdullai Yusuf Ahmed
Prime minister: Ali Mohamed Ghedi
Human Development Index: data not available |
From BBC Online: 
Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people.
Comprised of a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, Somalia was created in 1960 when the two territories merged. Since then, its development has been hindered by territorial claims on Somali-inhabited areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti.
BBC, September 2006
Refugees**
- Refugees and asylum seekers: 425,227
- Number of internally displaced persons: 400,000
- Total: 825,227
- Number of asylum applications to the UK (June 05 - June 06): 1790
Current situation
From UNHCR: “Somali refugees continue to flee to Kenya. Yesterday (6th Oct 2006), UNHCR transported 662 refugees who arrived over the weekend at the Kenyan border town of Liboi, to our camp at Dadaab.
On Friday, we received 442 people, up from about 300 a day earlier in the week. Since September 13, more than 3,400 Somalis have escaped growing tensions and fighting in their country and found refuge in neighbouring Kenya. Since the beginning of the year, more than 26,300 Somalis have sought refuge in Kenya. The refugees, who are mostly women and children, tell our teams that they are fleeing rising tensions and fighting between the Islamic Courts Union and warlords. They report walking from Mogadishu, Kismayo and Baioda, the headquarters of the Transitional Government.
Some claim that they have been personally attacked by armed militia, while others say they fled because their neighbours were killed and they feared a similar fate. People crossing the border generally suffer from extreme fatigue and many children appear malnourished.”
UNCHR, October 2006
From Amnesty International: “Amnesty International today (2nd May 2006) condemned the public execution of Omar Hussein in Mogadishu. He was tied to a stake, hooded and stabbed to death by the 16-year-old son of the man whom he admitted stabbing to death in February, an elderly Qur'anic school teacher. Omar Hussein had been sentenced to death hours earlier by an Islamic (Shari'a) court. Shari'a courts in Somalia do not allow the right to legal representation or appeal.
The execution was in violation of numerous international laws and standards relating to capital punishment. Omar Hussein's right to a fair judicial hearing before a competent and independent judicial authority, including his right to judicial review, his right to life and his right to be free from cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, have all been violated by the imposition of the death penalty by this court and the swift carrying out of the death sentence in this particularly abhorrent way.
Since the overthrow of Siad Barre’s 21-year government in January 1991, civil conflict has torn Somalia apart, leading to the collapse of the state and the economy. In addition, threatened by drought and famine, the surviving population faces further massive loss of life. Despite the relocation of the Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu and Jowhar last July and the lure of a broad bilateral trade agreement with neighboring Kenya in September, insecurity fuelled by rival warlords and their militia remains a major concern for Amnesty International.
Civilians are being raped and mutilated, with the victims systematically targeted on account of their clan origin. Thousands of civilians were displaced. Warlords responsible for factional fighting have become members of the new government. Journalists were arrested and human rights defenders threatened in several areas. Amnesty International appeals to Somali political leaders for action to end these severe human rights abuses.”
Amnesty International, May 2006
* This information is taken from the BBC's country profiles
**These numbers were taken from UNHCR figures published June 2nd 2006 and Home Office figures June 2005 - June 2006
