The Somali community in the UK: What we know and how we ... - ICAR

(usually Addis Ababa or Nairobi). However,
between September 1988 and January 1994, the
government operated a concession to allow
applications for family reunion relating to Somalis
in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya to be made
instead from within the UK. 60 The reversal of
this policy caused considerable logistical problems
for those in refugee camps without money or
transport.
Concluding remarks
The rapid increase in the number of Somali asylum
applications in the UK from just over 300 in 1988
to a peak of almost 7,500 in 1999 is indicative of
the worsening political climate in Somalia, as well
as reflecting a general upward trend in the number
of asylum claims in the UK over this period. This
was partly a result of the outbreak of a number of
small wars and ethnic conflicts following the end
of the Cold War and the consequent relaxation of
exit controls, combined with the changing nature
of international migration due to processes of
globalisation - developments in communication
technologies and the growth of faster and cheaper
air travel facilitating increasing cross-border flows
of both people and information.
However, in spite of this relative increase in the
number of Somali asylum applications in the UK,
the majority of Somali refugees remained in their
region of origin. During 2002 alone, an estimated
24,000 refugees fled from Somalia, mainly to
Yemen and Kenya. 61 According to UNHCR, at the
end of 2002 there were 429,474 Somali refugees
worldwide, constituting the fifth largest group of
refugees in the world. 62 Of these, 155,767 were
in Kenya, 80,763 in Yemen, 37,532 in Ethiopia,
33,066 in the UK, 28,693 in the USA and 20,251 in
Djibouti. 63
Table D: Ten largest Somali refugee populations at end
of 2002 64
Country
Size of refugee
population
Kenya 155,767
Yemen 80,763
Ethiopia 37,352
UK 33,066
USA 28,693
Djibouti 20,251
Netherlands 15,688
Denmark 9,582
South Africa 6,515
Canada 5,545
Overall, there has been a considerable increase
in refusal rates of Somali asylum applications
since 1999. Among the Somali community in the
UK, there is a perception that an earlier period
of special treatment due to the former colonial
relationship between the two countries has come
to an end. 65 The high percentage of grants of ELR,
rather than full refugee status, particularly between
1991 and 1997, has created a feeling of insecurity
among the Somali community in the UK, especially
since it entailed difficulties in obtaining family
reunion. Somalia has remained among the top ten
countries from which asylum seekers come to the
UK throughout the 1990s and among the top five
for every year but one between 1995 and 2003
55. Although they may qualify for basic assistance (accommodation and
full board) under the ‘hard cases’ fund operated by NASS. Seddon, 2002:
717-8.
56. Home Office, Somalia operational guidance notes, 6 February
2004, at paras 6.2 & 6.3. Available online from: http://www.ind.homeoffice.
gov.uk/default.asp?PageId=4742.
57. House of Commons Hansard written answers for 5 January 2004,
Column 7W. Available online from: http://www.publications.parliament.
uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/cm040105/index/40105-x.htm
58. IOM (2003), ‘Global trends in resettlement: Comparing the UK with
other countries’, background paper prepared for the Home Office Research
Seminar on Refugee Resettlement held on 6 February 2003.
59. Smyth and Mohamed, 1997: 25-26.
60. Griffiths, op. cit.: 76.
61. UNHCR (2003), Refugees by numbers. Available online from:
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdf?tbl=STATISTICS&id
=3d075d374&page=statistics.
62. 2002 UNHCR population statistics (provisional) table 4. Available from:
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/statistics/opendoc.pdf?tbl=STATISTICS
&id=3f3769672&page=statistics.
63. 2002 UNHCR population statistics (provisional) table 3. Available
from: http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/statistics/opendoc.pdf?tbl=STATIS
TICS&id=3f3769672&page=statistics.
64. UNHCR (2002), ‘Refugee population and major changes, 2002’ from
2002 Annual statistical report: Somalia, Geneva: UNHCR, 23.07.03.
Available from: http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/statistics/opendoc.pdf.
65. This sentiment was expressed by several Somalis in interviews with
the author.
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