Casualties Overview

The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) recorded 22 casualties as a result of 14 incidents in the Somali Republic (excluding Somaliland) for 2016.[1] Detailed data was available for only 17 casualties, of those, one was killed and 16 were injured. More than 76% were male. More than three-quarters (76%) of all casualties were children (10 boys and three girls), while adult casualties were comprised of three men and one woman. All were civilians.[2]

Casualties were reported in the following regions: Bay, Galgaduud, Gedo, Hiran, Lower Juba, Mudug, and Nugaal.

The 22 casualties reported for 2016 represented less than 40% of the 56 casualties reported for 2015.[3] The total for 2016 also marked a 74% decrease on the 84 casualties reported in 2014. However, due to the lack of accurate and consistent casualty data across the years, differences between annual reported casualty statistics do not necessarily represent trends.

The Monitor identified 3,170 mine/ERW casualties in Somalia (excluding Somaliland) between 1999 and the end of 2016. Of these, 1,250 people were killed, 1,568 were injured, and for the remaining 352 casualties it was unknown if they survived their injuries.

Cluster munition casualties

The number of cluster munition casualties in Somalia is not known. In a 2014 statement to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Somalia recognized that there are cluster munition victims in Somalia living in severe conditions with mostly unmet needs.[4]