Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Report
ERIGAVO DISTRICT
May, 2013
1
CONTRIBUTORS
Abdullahi Odowa (Senior Social Researcher, General Director, OCVP)
Abdifatah Tahir (Research Advisor, OCVP)
Ahmed Musa (Lead Researcher, OCVP)
Kenneth Mutinda (Research Assistant, OCVP)
Omar Abshir (Data Analyst, OCVP)
©The Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention
All rights are reserved. Requests for permission to reproduce or translate OCVP’s publications – whether for sale or for non‐
commercial distribution – should be addressed to the OCVP via (email: info@ocvp.org). Publications of OCVP can be obtained from
our offices in Hargeisa, Somaliland, or could be downloaded from our website www.ocvp.org.
2
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Observatory of Conflict and Violence Prevention (OCVP) would like to thank the interviewees and survey participants who gave
us their precious time and shared their thoughts on such sensitive issues.
We also thank the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Somalia, in particular, the Community Security Project within
the Governance and Rule of Law Programme, for providing us with financial support to undertake this survey.
3
OVERVIEW
Continual assessment on issues directly affecting the community safety and security is critical for providing effective evidence based programming on
development as it helps us to measure the outcome and impact of interventions in tackling insecurity and enhancing our understanding on what works and
what does not work at the community level. District level assessments are therefore used in this spirit so as to find out the issues that are affecting the
different communities in the diverse zones of the districts. By using key indicators for selected thematic areas, this report provides an assessment on the state
of conflict, safety and security in Erigavo District. Data for these indicators are gathered through both quantitative techniques such as questionnaires and
qualitative techniques such as focus group discussions and key informant interviews. As part of this assessment,, this report was conducted on Erigavo District
from 21st to 25th May, 2013 and the following are its key findings:
Security
The perception of respondents towards security providers in Erigavo District was good as 78% of the respondents said they either had high or very high trust in
the police. Respondents’ reporting preference reflected the confidence they have in the police as 96 and 83% of the respondents preferred to report serious
and petty crimes to the police respectively. The police presence in the community was reported positively as 69% of the respondents affirmed police presence.
However, there was a significant geographical variation in the police presence in the different subdivisions. 100% of respondents in Daalo and Daycan
subdivisions affirmed the police presence whereas 65 and 60% of respondents in Xafad Somali and Kulmiye subdivisions respectively said there was no police
presence in their community.
Justice
Confidence in the formal justice system in the district was rated relatively good as 74% of the respondents said they were either confident or very confident in
the formal justice system. Respondents cited two main categories of cases for which courts settle, with 40% of them saying land/water disputes are the major
issues with which courts deal, whereas 30% said household violence is the major issue taken to courts. With regard to judgment and enforcement, 60% of the
respondents said that sentences are issued by the court and enforced.
Governance
Familiarity with local representatives appeared to be medium as 63 % of the respondents said they were familiar with their local representatives. Participation
in the local government consultations was very poor as 99 % of the respondents said that they had never attended any consultation meeting with the local
council. However, the importance of elected officials as representatives of people was emphasized as 85% of the respondents said that it was important to
have elected officials. Sanitation was perceived to top the list of services offered by the local government with 68% of respondents saying it is the most
important service to their knowledge offered by the local authorities.
4
The Study Area Map
Erigavo
Sanaag Region Map: Adopted from UNOCHA
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 8
2. METHODOLOGY ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 8
2.1. Questionnaires ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 8
2.2. Focus Groups ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 8
2.3. Key Informants Interview ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 9
4.1. Security Provider ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 11
4.2. Justice Provider ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 16
4.3. Governance Provider ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 20
5.1. Experiences in Conflict and Violence ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 23
5.2. Dynamics of the conflict and violence ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 24
5.3 Perception towards safety ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 24
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6.1. Focus group discussions ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 26
6.1.1. Community safety concern and types of Violence ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 26
6.1.2. Victims of Violence and what makes them Vulnerable ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 29
6.1.3. Capacity for Conflict and Violence Prevention ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 29
6.1.4. Other Significant Concerns of the Community ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 30
6.2. Key informant interviews ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 30
6.2.1. Conflict and Violence Occurrence ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 30
7.2.3. Major concerns in the District ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 32
7.2.4. Issues that may trigger future conflicts in the district ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 33
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2. METHODOLOGY
1 INTRODUCTION
Data for the district conflict and security assessment on
Erigavo District is one of the oldest administrative units in
Erigavo was collected through a mixed method approach,
Somaliland and it is the capital of Sanaag Region. With a
where quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (Focus
population of around 30,000 inhabitants, Erigavo is primarily
Group Discussions and key Informants Interviews) were
inhabited by four major clans which are the Habar ‐Jelo and
employed.
Habar‐ Yonis subdivision of the Isaaq clan; and Warsangeli and
Dhulbahante subdivisions of the Harti Darood clan. But being
one of the most diverse towns, there are also other minority 2.1. Questionnaires
clans in the district which include: Kahayle of Majerten, The questionnaires were used to capture the necessary
Madhiban of Gaboye, Jibraahiil of Ogaden, Magaadle of Isaq quantitative information for outlining an accurate picture of
and Arabta Mohamoud Salah. the level of deployment, level of use and perception of
The district has two police stations: Daalo Police Station in the security, justice and governance providers in the district. They
city center and Central Police Station in the Sha,ab area. It also were administered at randomly selected 80 male and female
has two hospitals which are Manhal and Erigavo general persons from different households.
hospital and several clinics. An aerodrome is also located in 2.2. Focus Groups Discussion
the east of the town which is not very much functional. Some
local NGOs including Sanaag CBO, CCPRS, ADO, Candlelight The focus group discussions were used to capture the
and International NGOs such as Care International and IMC perceptions of the population about the nature of insecurities
have bases in the town. These NGOs mainly work in the areas in the district. Focus groups consisting of women, and youth
of livelihoods, environment, agriculture, health and education. as well as business persons, traditional and religious leaders,
Some prominent Telecommunication Companies, such as and less privileged community members were brought
Somaliland based Telesom and Somtel, and Puntland based together and participants were asked to identify all the major
Golis also have their offices in the District. types of insecurity and conflict experienced in the district.
They were then asked to describe the causes and locations of
the conflict. Equally, they were asked to identify the
8
2.3. Key Informants Interview
Qualitative interviews were conducted on key informants who
are knowledgeable about the political and security situation in
Erigavo. Each interview lasted for about half an hour and four
individuals, including a key religious leader, police
commissioner, prosecutor and key traditional local leader
were interviewed.
9
3. PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS Figure 2: Age Group Respondents’ Representation
Figure 1: Gender Respondents Representation
GENDER OF RESPODENTS REPRESENTATION
61% 39% The majority (81%) of the respondents that participated in the
household survey were married, 11% were single, 5% were
divorced, and 3% were widows (Fig 3).
Figure 3: Respondents marital status
Male Female
MARITAL STATUS
5% 3% 11%
Respondents’ age groups were distributed across different
ranges. 5% of the respondents fell on the following ranges:
81%
under 20, 15% in the 20‐29, 51% in 30‐39, and 13 % in the 50‐
59, while only 2 % fell in the age brackets of 70‐79 (Fig 2).
4. PERCEIVED PERFORMANCE OF SECURITY, JUSTICE, AND Table 1: Variations in the perception towards police presence in the
GOVERNANCE community by Gender
4.1. Security Provider
When people were asked about the presence of police in their
community, 69 % of the respondents said there was a police
presence in their community whereas 31 % said that there
were no police officers present in their community (Fig 4).
The various subdivisions in the district had varied perceptions
Figure 4: Respondents perception towards police presence towards the police presence; all the respondents in Daalo and
Dayacan affirmed the police presence in their community,
POLICE PRESENCE IN THE COMMUNITY while 65% and 60% of respondents in Xaafad Somali and
Kulmiye subdivisions said there was no police presence in the
31% community (Tab 2).
Table 2: Variations in the perception towards police presence in the
69% community by subdivision
Yes No
There was a variation in gender perception towards the
presence of police in the community. For instance, 51% of the
male respondents affirmed the police presence in the
community, whereas 79% of the female respondents said
there was police presence in the community (Tab 1). Over half of the respondents, 52%, estimated the number of
police officers in the community to be in the range of 25‐29,
11
13% said to be 20‐24, 11% said 1‐4 police officers while 6% did Figure 6: Respondents’ estimation of distance to the police station
not know the number of police officers in the community (Fig
5). 100 WALKING DISTANCE TO THE POLICE STATION/S
78
80
Figure 5: Respondents’ perception towards the level of police 60
Percentage
40
NUMBER OF POLICE OFFICERS IN THE COMMUNITY
60 52 20 5 5 11
0
40
Percentage
12
Table 3: Variations in the preference of reporting on civil cases by gender
When the respondents were asked about their preference in
reporting serious crimes4, 96% said they would report to the
police, 1% said to religious leaders, while, 3% preferred the
courts (Fig 9).
With regard to petty crimes3, 83% of respondents preferred to
report to the police, 12% would report to the community
elders, while 5% of the respondents said they would take their
cases to the local authority, none of the respondents
preferred religious leaders (Fig 8).
2
Land dispute and divorce
3 4
Robbery, household violence etc Grave assault, rape, murder etc
13
Figure 9: Respondents’ preference of reporting on serious crimes With respect to the different subvidvisions of the district, the
level of trust respondents have in the police generally took the
same line, notwithstanding the fact that respondents in
Kulmiye had very high trust in the police while those in Daalo
also had high trust in the police compared to the other
subdivisions (Tab 4).
Table 4: Variations in the level of trust on police response by subdivision
Regarding the level of trust in the police, the overwhelming
majority of the respondents, 78%, pointed out that they do
have high or very high trust in the police, while 21% had low
or very low trust in the police (Fig 10).
Figure 10: Respondents’ level of trust in police response
Female respondents slighlty showed higher levels of trust in
the police than their male counter parts. 57 % of the female
respondets said they trust the police as opposed to 51% of
their male counterparts (Tab 5).
14
Table 5: Variations in the level of trust on police response by Gender
15
Responses on the existence of courts in the research area
were generally good as 97 % of the respondents said that
courts existed in the district, while only 3 % of the
respondents said there is no court in the district (Fig 11).
Figure 11: Respondents’ perception towards the existence of courts
EXISTENCE OF COURTS IN THE DISTRICT
3%
Geographical variations also existed in the responses given on
97%
the walking distance to the court. Most of the respondents (81
%), said their walking distance to the court is more than 20
minutes, 13 % said it is in the range of 16‐20 minutes, while 4
% said their walking distance is 10‐14 minutes. (Fig 13)
Yes No
In terms of the number of courts in the district, 70 % of the
respondents said that there is 1 court in the district, 18 % said
there are 2 courts in the district, while 12 % said there are 3
courts in the district (Fig 12).
16
Figure 13: Respondents’ estimation of distance to the courts Figure 14: Respondents’ awareness about the existence of legal aid clinic
Table 6: Variations in the awareness about the existence of legal aid clinic
On the issue of awareness about the existence of legal clinics, in the district by subdivision
the vast majority (96 %) of the respondents said they were not
aware about the existence of the legal clinic. Only 3 % of the
respondents said they know the existence of the legal aid
clinic (Fig 14).
When it came to the usage of the courts in the last 12 months,
88 %, said they used the courts in the past 12 months, 13 %
pointed out that they did not use courts in the past 12 months
(Fig 15).
17
Figure 15: Respondents’ usage of the courts Figure 16: Respondents’ referral to the courts
Percentage
12% 60
50 30
10
88% 0
Family member Police Elder
Referees
Respondents in the district also cited five main cases for which
Yes No
courts are used. 40 % of the respondents said that the
land/water dispute is the major issue which courts deal with
When it came to the referred issues to the court most of the whereas 30 % said household Violence is the major issue
respondents (60 %) said the police referred them to the court, taken to court, 10 % said assault, and 10 % pointed out
30 % said the elders referred them, while, 10 % said family robbery, while 10 % mentioned other issues (Fig 17).
members referred them to the courts (Fig 16).
Figure 17: Respondents’ account of the issues taken to courts
18
When asked about the issuance of judgment by the court and Figure 19: Respondents’ account on the enforcement of judgments
enforcements of such judgments, 60 % said that judgments
are issued while the remainder (40%) stated that judgements ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENT BY THE COURTS
were not issued. Figure (18)
60% 40%
Figure 18: Respondents’ account on the issuance of judgments
ISSUANCE OF JUDGMENT BY THE COURT
40%
60%
Yes No
As far as confidence in the formal justice system in the district
Yes No was concerned, it was rated relatively good as nearly 74 % of
the respondents said they are either confident or very
Respondents were also divided on the enforcement of confident in the formal justice system, while 19 % said that
judgments as 60 % of those asked about the enforcement of they were not confident in the formal justice system in the
judgments said they are enforced while the rest said district (Fig 20).
otherwise (Fig 19).
19
Figure 20: Respondents’ level of confidence in the formal justice system Figure 21: Respondents’ familiarity with elected representatives
FAMILIARITY WITH REPRESENTATIVE IN THE DISTRICT
CONFIDENCE IN THE FORMAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
COUNCIL
(LAWYERS, POLICE AND COURTS, ETC.)
50 44
37%
Percentage
40 30 63%
30 19
20
6
10 1
0
Very Confident Not Don’t know Not
confident confident applicable
Yes No
Level of confidence
Table 7: Variations in the perception towards respondents’ familiarity
4.3. Governance Provider
with representatives in the local district council by subdivision
Familiarity with local representatives was fairly high as 63 % of
the respondents said they were familiar with their local
representatives while 37 % said they did not know their local
representatives (Fig 21). There were no significant
geographical variations in the familiarity with representatives
between subdivisions as more than half of respondents in
Xafad Somali, Kulmiye, Daycan and Daalo said they did not
know their elected representatives (Table 7).
When it came to participation in the local government
consultations, the responses were also very poor as 99 % of
the respondents said that they have not attended consultation
meeting with the local council (Fig 22).
20
Figure 22: Respondents’ participation in local government consultations Sanitation was perceived to be top the list of services offered by
the local government with 68 % of respondents saying it was the
PARTICIPATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
CONSULTATIONS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS most important service to the best of their knowledge offered by
1% the local authorities (Fig 24).
Figure 24: Respondents’ perception towards services offered by the Local
99% government
PERCEPTION TOWARDS SERVICES OFFERED BY THE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
80 68
Yes No
Percentage
60
40
20 3 3 6 5 4 10
The importance of elected officials as representatives of the 1
0
people was rated relatively high as 85 % of the respondents said
that it is important to have elected officials (Fig 23).
Figure 23: Respondents’ perception towards elected representatives
Services
PERCEPTION TOWARDS THE IMPORTANCE OF ELECTED
OFFICIALS FOR REPRESENTATION
There was no significant geographical variation in the
9% 6% perception towards services offered by the local government.
All Respondents agreed that the services offered by the local
government was sanitation, likewise, there was no significant
85%
variations in different subdivisions perception towards
services offered by the local government as more than half of
respondents in the subdvisions affirmed the sanitation (Tab 8).
Yes No Not applicable
21
Table 8: Variations in the perception towards services offered by the local Figure 25: Respondents’ perception towards the local issues
government response by subdivision
PERCEPTION TOWARDS THE MOST IMPORTANT LOCAL
33 ISSUE FACING THE COMMUNITY
35
30
Percntage
25 15 11 10 13
20
15 5 1
10 3 4 3 1 1 1
5
0
22
5. FORMS OF INSECURITY AND VIOLENCE Figure 27: Respondents’ estimation of the level of conflict occurrence
5.1. Experiences in Conflict and Violence NUMBER OF CONFLICTS WITNESSED IN THE LAST 12
40 MONTHS
Conflict in the area seemed to be very low as 88 % of the 30 30
respondents said that there were no conflicts between the 30
Percentage
clans in the district for the past 12 months (Fig 26). 20
20
10 10
10
Figure 26: Respondents’ perception towards conflict occurrence
0
CONFLICT OCCURRENCE BETWEEN DIFFERENT CLANS OR 1 2 Number of conflicts
3 4 5
GROUPS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
12%
When asked the respondents about the number of conflict
leading to violence in the district 43 % said 2 while 29 % said 1
88%
and 14 % said 4 ( fig 28)
Figure 28 Respondents number of conflict leading to violence
NUMBER OF CONFLICT LEADING TO VIOLENCE
Yes No 50 43
40
Percentage
The respondents were divided over the estimation of conflict 29
30
occurrences as 30 % said that they witnessed 1 conflict, 30 % 20 14 14
witnessed 3 conflicts in the in the last 12 month in the district,
10
20 % witnessed 2 conflicts, while 10 ,10 % witnessed 4 and 5
0
conflict respectively in the last 12 months in the district (fig
1 2 4 5
27). Number of violence
23
5.2. Dynamics of Conflict and Violence
The various triggers for conflict in the district were mentioned by Figure 30: Respondents’ account of witnessing a crime against someone
the interviewed participants. These include crime (i.e. theft,
robbery, rape, murder, etc.) which accounted for 40 % of the CRIME OR VIOLENCE WITNESSED AGAINST SOMEONE
OUTSIDE THE RESPONDENT'S HOUSEHOLD IN THE LAST
conflicts followed by family disputes which accounted for 30%
TWELVE MONTHS
and power and cultural struggle which accounted for 10% (Fig 10%
29). Moreover crime was perceived to be relatively low as the
vast majority, 90 %, of those asked about whether they
90%
witnessed crimes against someone outside their household
responded in the negative (Fig 30).
Figure 29 Respondents’ account of the reasons for the conflict
Yes No
THE REASON FOR THE CONFLICT
50 5.3 Perception towards safety
40
40
30 People generally rated safety as being good with 55 % of the
Percentage
30
respondents saying they felt safe while 44 % said they felt
20
10 unsafe in dark areas (Fig 31). However there were
10 geographical and gender variations in the perception of
0 respondents towards safety. For instance, 44 % of the female
Family disputes Crime (theft, Power / cultural
robbery, rape, struggle
respondents said that they felt very unsafe as opposed to 41
murder etc) % of their male counterparts (Tab 9). Respondents in Xafad
Reasons Somali and Kulmiye have recorded a low level of safety
perception as 90 % and 50 % of them said that they felt very
unsafe in their areas while76 and 89 % of respondents in
Dayacan and Daalo said they feel safe in their localities
respectively (Tab 10)
24
Figure 31: Respondents’ perception towards safety in their area
PERCEPTION TOWARDS SAFETY AFTER DARK IN THE
60 AREA OF RESIDENCE 55
50 44
Percentage
40
30
20
10 1
0
Very unsafe Unsafe Safe
Perception towards safety
Table 9 Variations in the perception towards your after dark by gender
Table 10 Variations in the perception towards your after dark by
Subdivision
25
6. KEY ISSUES ON SECURITY, JUSTICE, AND GOVERNANCE said land disputes were very common during the rainy season
in the area between Ceel‐afweyn and Erigavo.
6.1. Focus group discussions
Women and business men’s focus group discussion
This summary is based on the focus group discussions held at participants raised the point that land grabbing was another
Erigavo during 21st to 23rd May 2013. These focus groups significant safety concern in the district as one woman said
were part of the District Conflict and Security Assessment “some people grabbed the land which was not their own
(DCSA). DCSA is an annual assessment that is conducted at the during the civil war in the district since some people fled the
district level every year to assist local councils for the annual city while others stayed behind and until now they are illegally
planning processes. The following groups took part in the occupying the land as their own. There is no strong justice
discussions: system that we can rely on to reclaim ownership of our land”.
She even cited a personal case where her land was grabbed
Youth( male and female in one focus group);
during the civil war and since she returned to the district she
Women;
Elders and religious leaders( in one focus group); has been trying to reclaim her land legally but she had not
Business people; succeeded as the court had failed to make a decision in all
People living with poverty those years.
Revenge killings were the second safety concern that youth,
6.1.1. Community Safety Concern and Types of Violence elders and business people raised. One business people focus
group discussion’s participant pointed out that revenge killings
A majority of all focus group discussion participants pointed
cause a chain of killings; perpetrators commit a murder and
out that the most safety concerns in Erigavo District faces was
flee, then the clan of the deceased person kill another
the issue of land‐based conflict(Ceshiimo) which is very
innocent person from the clan the perpetrator hailed from
common in the district where people fence and claim the
and then the clan of the second deceased person kill another
ownership of a large swathes of land for animal grazing and
innocent person and it goes on and on. Revenge killings posed
fodder selling purposes. Neighbours dispute over land and
a very significant concern in the district. Participants
such disputes mostly end up in violence. Some participants
mentioned that when a murder is committed in the district,
26
27
Contrary to youth and women, and less privileged members, Participants were asked about the factors that they thought
elders and business people focus group discussion participants could increase the likelihood of disputes become violent.
did not consider that clanism is a safety concern in the district. Youth, women and elders focus group discussion participants
The latter group argued that people in the district relate to expressed the opinion that delayed enforcement of court or
each other hence tribalism is not very common in their customary decisions such as delayed blood compensation
district. could trigger disputes into violent conflicts. Perpetrators who
were never brought into books especially in the murder cases
Inequality in sharing political positions was one of the issues
and injustices in the judiciary system were also the factors
that business people discussion participants said could trigger
that they thought could increase the likelihood of disputes
tribal friction and hence cause security concern in the district.
becoming violent as many people took the laws into their
The political division in the district had significantly
hands. The elders’ focus group participants added that cultural
contributed to the increasing tribal friction between clans in
factors such as the culture to protect perpetrators are among
the district. Most of the Harti Daarood clans who perceive
the factors that led to disputes turning violent. Blood
themselves as marginalized from the power sharing do not
compensation was becoming a critical factor that turned
owe allegiance for the government of Somaliland.
disputes into conflicts because clans agreed on blood
Participants were asked about the causes of the violence in compensation but the payment became very slow and people
the community, and majority of the participants pointed out preferred to take revenge instead of waiting for small
land dispute. Unemployment, tribalism, weak justice systems immaterial instalments of blood compensation over the years
were among the tendencies that respondents said lead to as one local elder said.
behaviours of violence and insecurity. Revenge killings are
Participants had different views on the level of confidence
also among the most common causes of conflict and violence
they had in the police and the justice system. Some argued
in the district. Female participants considered rape as one of
that the absence of trust in the police and justice system
the triggers of conflict and dispute between
prompted people in the district to take the laws into their
clans/communities, while elders/religious leaders’ focus group
own hands which turned disputes into violent conflicts while
discussion participants said that secularism is the main factor
others commended the work of the police but questioned the
that is causing violence behaviours in the community.
number and quality of the police in the district.
28
Contrary to the other group participants, business people With regard to poor health system in the district, female
focus group discussion participants pointed out that elders participants pointed out that if an expecting mother gets
have two sharp edges in regard to conflict prevention. They some labour complications, she is referred to either Burao or
played visible roles in preventing conflicts but they also trigger Hargeisa hospitals because all qualified medical personnel
many conflicts. Participants mentioned a sharp rise in the have deserted the district.
number of traditional leaders in the district. Each clan that
Business people mentioned that their most significant concern
used to have one traditional leader has 10 traditional leaders
was the poor infrastructure in the district. The district had
now. As one participant said, there are rivalries among them
neither tarmac road nor nearby ports. Marginalization of the
which made it hard to reach any final decision. Traditional
region by the government was also an issue that concerned
leaders also made money out of the cases as they
elders in the district.
intentionally prolong cases which finally turned disputes into
violence.
6.2. Key informant interviews
6.1.4. Other Significant Concerns of the Community This summary is based on key informative interviews
Participants had slightly divergent opinions on the most conducted as part of District Conflict and Security Assessment
significant community concerns in the district. Youth, women, held in Erigavo in 23 to 25 May, 2013. The following key
people living with poverty, and elders’ focus group discussion informants were specifically interviewed:
participants pointed out that acute unemployment is the Key religious leader;
major concern in the district. They also pointed to poor health
Key traditional local elder;
system, low quality education, and scarcity of water among
Attorney General;
the pivotal concerns in the district. Youth participants
Police commander.
emphasized that security comes before everything else while
elders and women participants underlined that 6.2.1. Conflict and Violence Occurrence
unemployment was the most significant concern and it was
Erigavo district had witnessed several incidents of conflict
one of the critical factors that was leading to conflicts.
between clans and sub clans over the last 12 months. Some of
these conflicts were violent and caused death and injury while
30
others were non‐violent. The nature of the conflict and the The second incident in the district over the last 6 months
issues that triggered the conflict varied. occurred after 1 soldier from Abdale xamud ( a sub clan of
Mouse Ismail of Habar Yonis), injured another soldier from
The participants of the KII interviews did not have much
Udur‐xumin (a sub clan of Habar Jelo) in a police operation.
difference with regard to the incidents that took place in the
The clan of the perpetrator paid blood money but the victim
district in the last 12 months. According them the most critical
did not get his share in the money. This annoyed the victim
and violent conflicts in the district in the last 12 months
and he killed the soldier from Abdalle Xamud then escaped
included: Conflict that took place in Xingalool where some
and was still at large. Udur‐xumin sub clan members who
militia men from Ba’idoor sub clan of Warsangeli ambushed a
were related to the perpetrator fled from Erigavo fearing
car and killed 2 people; 1 from Madhibaan clan and 1 from
revenge. Although the father of the perpetrator who is a
Naaleeye Ahmed sub clan of Dhulbahante clan, whilst also
traditional elder was behind bars which did not please the
injuring 2 other people; 1 woman from Majeerteen clan and 1
Abdale Xamud sub clan and there was still high tension
man from Warsangeli clan. The main issue that triggered this
between the two clans. According to the religious leader
bloody conflict was related to revenge as the clan of the
Abdalle Xamud paid some blood money to the Udur‐xumin,
deceased person believed that the Ba’idoor sub clan killed
the father of the injured solider did not give the victim enough
their man as a revenge for some men who were killed a
money to pay his medical bills or seek further treatment. This
couple of years back, though the Ba’idoor clan disputed this.
annoyed the victim where he finally murdered the man from
Government and local elders endeavoured to resolve the
Abdalle Xamud who injured him in the first place.
Xingalool conflict but their efforts became futile as Naleeye
Ahmed sub clan refused to accept any mediation unless the The third incident that shook Erigavo over the past 12 months
perpetrator who was still at large was brought to justice. As a took place in Ceeriyaan 70 KMs South West of Erigavo; this
consequence of this conflict, those who were from the conflict was between Mohamoud Hamoud (a sub clan of
Ba’idoor sub‐clan fled from Erigavo city fearing of revenge Mouse Ismail) and Sunbuur (a sub clan of Habar Jeclo) who are
killing and they were yet to come back to Erigavo since the the two main inhabitants of Ceeriyaan. A man from
conflict was not yet resolved. Mohamoud Hamoud injured a man from Sunbuur over a land
dispute, the issue was solved after the two sides agreed that
Mohamoud Hamoud should compensate the blood of the
31
victim, however, Mohamoud Hamoud clan delayed with the 7.2.3. Major concerns in the District
compensation and this annoyed the initially injured man to an
KII participants had divergent opinions on the other concerns
extent that he killed the man who injured him and then
in the district. According to a key religious leader, a major
escaped to Ceel dibir, 50kms north‐west of Ceriyaan5.
concern that people of Erigavo district had was the clan based
About 6 men from the Sanbuur sub‐clan whom the police said soldiers who were mainly from the Isaq clan. Participants
were all involved in the murder fled from the Ceeriyaan village added that such domination made it that soldiers did not have
and went into hiding in the bush. Religious leaders, traditional the trust in the Harti Darood clan since they saw them as tribal
leaders and the police unit went to bring the perpetrators to police men. When the police commander was asked about the
justice and finally managed to arrest 5 men while 1 escaped. Isaq clan domination in the police, he argued that soldiers
The arrested men argued that the one who had escaped was from the Harti darood clan always defect from the police.
the perpetrator. This conflict was not yet solved and had
With regard to the police in the district, the Attorney General
resulted in the fleeing of the Baha‐Mahmoud ( a sub clan of
pointed out that most of the soldiers had been recruited in
Sanbuur to which the alleged perpetrator belonged) from
1990s and had never been transferred. Key religious leaders,
Erigavo fearing revenge. During the data collection exercise
key local leaders and the Attorney |General pointed out that
the district police commander and governor visited Ceeriyaan
in many cases the perpetrators were either police or military
village to defuse the tension but failed. The police commander
men. The Attorney General cited an example of incidents
said that the two sides have deployed tribal militias who
where some civilians filed cases against military soldiers and
outnumbered the police in the area and have even exchanged
yet the civilian court had no mandate to arrest a military
gunfire with the police. The police commander confirmed that
soldier. When asked the police commander about the fact
he narrowly survived two bullets from the conflicting militias
that most of the perpetrators in the district were either police
during his attempt to defuse the tension
or military men, the commander said that it used to happen
but since he took office such cases had not been common, he
cited only one murder case in Erigavo committed by a police
soldier.
5
An area which is a hide out for murderers
32
Traditional elders recommended the strengthening of the The Attorney General pointed out that poor economy, acute
government’s allegiance in the district by transferring police rate of unemployment, unaccountability, and unequal share of
and military officers who hail from other regions and who are scarce resources in the district were some of the major
independent from the tribal rivalry in the district. concerns in the district. He added that most of the conflicts in
the district were livelihood related.
The key traditional elder pointed out that he had a concern
with delayed blood compensations as currently there were The police commander’s concerns were that current police
very many outstanding blood compensations which usually officers lacked the capacity and had been in the district for the
annoyed the clan of the deceased person and it was the main last 20 years. He further added that his concern was the
factor behind the ever increasing revenge incidents in the shortage of police stations in the district. The district has two
district. The local leaders believed that the government should police stations, the central police station and Daalo police
play a pivotal role in forcing clans of perpetrators to clear station and there is need for third police station in east of
blood money and the government should confiscate the Erigavo as the police commander recommended.
property of those who showed reluctance, unless they clear
7.2.4. Issues that may trigger future conflicts in the district
blood compensations. The findings pointed out that people
were becoming too reluctant to pay blood money and as Land was the major issue that triggers most conflicts in the
result of this, clans preferred to take revenge instead of district and it might trigger more conflicts in the future. The
waiting for blood compensation which might take years to be miscarriage of justice was likely to trigger future conflicts
cleared. according to the KII participants. It was common in the district
that perpetrators stayed at large and never brought to justice.
Erigavo District is a tribal area and the local clans can easily
The perpetrators escaped with the help of family members
challenge government’s decisions. The key traditional elder
and this caused revenge killings. People in the district are
cited an incident where a prominent traditional elder
heavily armed with daggers, small arms, clubs and the like and
threatened the governor in his office. Researchers had
this was one of the factors causing fatal accidents. Late
informally interacted with one of the traditional leaders and
execution or enforcement of court or customary decisions
he said local authorities could not make any decisions unless
caused grievances in the district, which finally turned into
the traditional leaders’ rubbers stamp them.
violent conflict.
33
KII findings pointed out that many cases are solved in the able to prevent possible violence from occurring and mitigate
police centres and were never brought to the judiciary system the existing ones.
due to fact that the local people did not prefer to file cases
with the courts fearing of prolonged cases instead people
prefer to use customary law or take the law into their own
hands; as the district police commander said, the police
allow certain cases to be settled outside the court, if the
conflicting sides consent.
7. CONCLUSION
Like most districts in the east, conflict in Erigavo District occurs
between and within the different clans and sub clans in the
district. Moreover, Erigavo is perhaps one of the least
developed regions in the country and such underdevelopment
could form the basis on which widespread discontent within
the communities and mistrust towards the state apparatus
could breed.
34