Profile Updated: August 2016
Somalia Immigration Detention Profile
Somalia is the third largest source country of refugees worldwide. The number of Somali refugees reached one million in 2012. As Somalia is not a destination or transit country for migrants from neighbouring countries, immigration-related detention does not appear to be a significant issue and there is very little information available about this issue.[1]
In 2013, the U.S. State Department described conditions in Somalia’s prisons and detention centres as harsh and life-threatening. Problems include poor sanitation, lack of medical care, inadequate food, and widespread tuberculosis, cholera, and pneumonia.[2]
[1] Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat, Behind Bars: The Detention of Migrants in and from the East and Horn of Africa, 2015, http://www.regionalmms.org/.
[2] U.S. Department of State, Somalia 2014 Human Rights Report, 2014, http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/236616.pdf.