Somaliland

Victim Assistance

Last updated: 01 April 2018

The number of mine/explosive remnant of war (ERW) survivors in Somaliland is not known, but there were at least 734 as of the end of 2017.

The public health sector is very limited in Somaliland. Less than 4% of the government’s US$150 million budget is allocated for the health sector and the majority of funds go to covering salaries of staff. The majority of healthcare services are obtained in the private sector with little or no oversight.[1] Orthopedic services are available in public hospitals, but the available equipment is out of date and in need of replacement.[2]

The rehabilitation sector was managed by two organizations, the Somaliland Red Crescent Society (SRCS) and the Disability Action Network (DAN), a high-level local NGO. Each used their own network of partners and providers to deliver rehabilitation services. Each ran one of two rehabilitation centers in Hargeisa.[3] Funding constraints continue to severely restricted DAN’s ability to provide services. DAN reported that its strategic objectivesfor 2015–2019 included exploring creative and innovative ways of mobilizing resources for sustainable operations.[4]

The SRCS continued to provide prosthetics and rehabilitation supported by ICRC MoveAbility (formerly the Special Fund for the Disabled) and the Norwegian Red Cross.In 2016, staff from MoveAbility conducted a general evaluation of the Hargeisa facility and confirmed the existence and viability of local referral networks. The Norwegian Red Cross sponsored staff from the Hargeisa facility to attend additional training in Tanzania on the management of upper limb disabilities.[5] Provision of prosthetic devices is limited and in 2016 only 56 individuals received a new or repaired appliance from the SRCS Hargeisa Center.[6]

For those who cannot obtain a prosthetic appliance from DAN or SRCS Hargeisa, the costs of prosthetic devices in Somaliland are prohibitive leading the family of at least one landmine survivor to publish a request for donations along with the announcement of the explosion.[7]

Humanity and Inclusion (formerly Handicap International, HI) disability mainstreaming and inclusion activities included coordination meetings among disabled people’s organizations, government ministries, and civil society organizations as well as directed trainings on mainstreaming hosted by HI and DAN.[8] Due to the history of HI in Somaliland, the context sensitivity and clan system in Somaliland, most HI activities are conducted through local partners such as DAN.[9]

In addition to the services provided by the private sector, the Somaliland government distributes wheelchairs to persons with disabilities.[10] Mental health and psychosocial services are limited to the new mental health unit at the Hargeisa Group Hospital; the unit was funded by a Welsh charity created by members of the Somaliland diaspora.[11]

The Somaliland constitution notes that the state is responsible for the health, care, development, and education of persons with disabilities. However, persons with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty and are routinely excluded from education, formal employment, and health services. Persons with physical disabilities are barred from the civil service and the stigma against disability remains strong in Somaliland.[12]

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the Somaliland National Disability Policy in October 2015.[13] The Policy protects the rights of persons with disabilities and builds upon the 2014 presidential decree mandating that all buildings in Somaliland, public and private, make accommodations to enable accessibility for all.[14] Disabled peoples organizations used the 2014 decree as the basis for advocacy for physical accessibility, and more buildings now have ramps to enable persons in wheelchairs to enter them.[15] The newly passed policy calls for equal opportunities in employment for persons with disabilities.[16] However implementation of the policy is not clear. In the past, the government has run media awareness campaigns, but the messaging of those campaigns was not consistent with a social model of disability: calling for citizens to “care” for persons with disability rather than empowering them.[17] The Ministry of Education has had, since 2008, guidelines for inclusive education, but these have not been implemented. Children with disabilities, if they receive any education, attend specialized schools.[18]



[1] Human Rights Watch, “Chained Like Prisoners: Abuses Against People with Psychosocial Disabilities in Somaliland,” 2015, pp. 21–22.

[2] “Somaliland’s failing health facilities: hospitals or abattoirs?” Somaliland Sun, 12 January 2017.

[3] Humanity and Inclusion (formerly Handicap International, HI), “Somaliland: Rehabilitation System Context,” undated.

[4] Email from Ali Jama Hassan, Managing Director, DAN, 2 April 2016.

[5] ICRC MoveAbility, “Annual Report 2016,” Geneva, 2017, p. 17.

[6] Email from Mohamou Mohamed Nour, Director, Somaliland Rehab Center, 20 April 2017.

[7] “Somaliland: Mine Decapitates Erigavo Farmer,” Somaliland Sun, 2 July 2016.

[8] Email from Ali Jama Hassan, DAN, 2 April 2016.

[9] HI, “Country Manager – Somaliland” (employment posting), 1 March 2018.

[10] Somaliland Civil Society Organizations Submission, Universal Periodic Review, 1 July 2015.

[11] Somaliland Mental Health Support Organization, “Somaliland Gets Ultra Modern Mental Health Facility Courtesy of Cardiff Based SMHSO,” 1 June 2017.

[12] Somaliland Civil Society Organizations Submission, Universal Periodic Review, 1 July 2015.

[13] M.A. Egge, “Somaliland: National policy addressing the handicapped is here at last,” Somaliland Informer, 19 September 2015.

[14] “All Public Services Must Include Amenities for Disabled Citizens’ President Silanyo,” Somaliland Sun, 13 January 2014.

[15] Email from Ali Jama Hassan, DAN, 2 April 2016.

[16]Press Release: Cabinet approves Disable Policy,” Somali National News Agency, 10 October 2015.

[17] Save the Children, “Review of Save Children’s support to promote the rights of children with disabilities: Somaliland Programme,” 2015, p. 10.

[18] Ibid,. p.11.