UN / SOMALIA REFUGEES

The United Nations refugee agency issues new guidelines calling on governments to enhance their protection of people escaping the "unfolding international tragedy" in Somalia. FILE

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:36
• Production Date: 11 May 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: SOMALIA
• MAMS Id: U100511d

Description

STORY: UN / SOMALIA REFUGEES
TRT: 1.36
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANUAGE: NATS

DATELINE: FILE

Shotlist

FILE - 6, 7 SEPTEMBER 2009, AFGOYE CORRIDOR, NEAR MOGADISHU

1. Wide shot, huts in camp
2. Med shot, boy crouching around huts
3. Med shot, children around huts and women with water bidons
4. Med shot, children
5. Various shots, woman washing clothes
6. Wide shot, people in camp

FILE - 11 SEPTEMBER 2009, DADAAB, KENYA

7. Wide shot, refugees looking through fence waiting to be registered
8. Wide shot, women and children new arrivals waiting to be registered
9. Wide shot, registration tent
10. Med shot, family waiting to be registered
11. Various shots, refugees being registered at registration tent

FILE - 17 MARCH 2008, LOYADA BORDER, DJIBOUTI

12. Various shots, people arriving and being registered
13. Various shots, Somali family arriving with luggage

FILE - 15 MARCH, DJIBOUTI

14. Various shots, refugees gathering outside government refugee office

Storyline

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) issued new guidelines today, calling on governments to enhance their protection of people escaping the “unfolding international tragedy” in Somalia.

The guidelines seek to ensure that the protection needs of Somalis are dealt with consistently. They also encourage nations to assess applications for refugee status for people from the war-torn country in the broadest way and to extend other forms of international protection when refugee status is not granted.

Those who do not meet the criteria to be granted refugee status under the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1969 Refugee Convention of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), she said, should still be protected, as applicable in situations of generalized violence or armed conflict.

The Horn of Africa nation continues to be plagued by fighting between Government forces and its supporters and Islamist rebels. It remains the scene of one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with 1.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), some 575,000 refugees and nearly 3 million people dependent on aid, out of a total population of nearly 8 million.

Although most countries look into refugee claims on an individual basis, UNHCR is calling on countries facing large numbers of arrivals to grant protection to people from Somalia on a group basis.

Last week, UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner Alexander Aleinikoff said that thousands of Somalis fleeing the violence in their homeland are expected to cross into neighbouring countries this year, adding to already overcrowded and under-resourced conditions in camps.

Some of the camps have housed Somalis since the Somali Government collapsed in 1991, casting the country into chaos between political factions, armed groups and clans.