GENEVA, October 4 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday it is "very concerned" by the latest escalation of violence in southern Somalia. The renewed clashes between opposing armed groups are further exacerbating the already severe humanitarian situation. <P>"We urge all armed groups and...

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 19 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency said Friday it is continuing to distribute emergency aid to displaced people in southern and central Somalia, reaching some 30,000 of them this week alone. Since early July, UNHCR teams have assisted some 180,000 people displaced by drough...

In an effort to maintain operations despite prevailing insecurity and reduced humanitarian access at Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps, UNHCR has been exploring ways to ensure uninterrupted assistance and services in the world’s largest refugee settlement. <P>The new measures include stronger and dee...

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 23 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has sent a team of experts in several disciplines to a remote area of eastern Ethiopia where some 18,000 Somali refugees are in urgent need of aid after fleeing their country. The UNHCR team sent to Gode includes specialists in health, nut...

DOLLO ADO, Ethiopia, August 5 (UNHCR) The UN refugee agency, in partnership with the Ethiopian government and the International Organization for Migration, on Friday began the relocation of nearly 15,000 Somali refugees who have been living in a crowded transit centre in the eastern region of Dollo ...

In Dollo Ado, UNHCR initiated an innovative pilot project, the IDEAS BOX, a multi-media library, for Somali refugee children and youth. The project is implemented by Save the Children and Libraries without Borders, in coordination with UNHCR Innovations Unit in Geneva. Facilitated by the governmen...

A two day workshop on mixed migration was held on 12 and 13 September in Hargeisa, Somaliland. The workshop brought together different government ministries, NGOs and international organisations in Somaliland that play a role in addressing mixed migration. The objective of the forum was to update...

In Somalia, UNHCR and our partners stand ready to assist displaced people from Afgooye as they arrive in Mogadishu. Since 22 May, some 14,000 people have been displaced from Afgooye as a result of military activity in the area which started a week ago. The humanitarian community has a contingency...

UNHCR and partners have successfully relocated the vast majority of Somali arrivals in Kenya who for lack of other options, were forced to settle on Dadaab’s precarious outskirts. The new homes are in the newest extensions of the Dadaab complex, Ifo 2 East, Ifo 2 West and Kambioos. The outskirts whi...

UNHCR is releasing today at 11am Geneva time a new report on asylum trends in industrialized countries during the first half of 2011. The report shows a 17 percent increase in asylum claims during this period, with Afghans continuing to be the largest group by country of origin. The report notes rel...