State Fragility as Drivers of Forced Migration and Displacement in South and Central Somalia

Abstract

One of the most significant objectives of international community in 21st century is overcoming of state fragility. Most of unstable countries have become failed nations having millions of citizens caught in hopeless conditions and deprivation. Fragile States are not empowered, legitimated or able to develop their people in a modern state and present profound challenges to policy development and execution. For example, how can help be designed and delivered so that people in vulnerable countries are able to absorb and use aid in their governments? And what can we do about the adverse effects that fragile states have on their neighbors and the global community, such as increased insecurity, increasing migration, displaced populations and the destruction of natural resources. Fragile countries are perhaps the international community's major political challenge in terms of forced migration. Policy on links between fragile States and forced migration should not, however, confine itself to government enhancement or programmes for capacity-building. In particular in terms of border securitization, an integrated approach must also be taken into account the relationship between state fragility and the behavior of northern states. The negative effects of cross-border fragility are often seen as a basis for international intervention. However, the 'cost' of fragile states have been analyzed relatively poorly and some research has called into question the concept of the direct causal link between vulnerability and international security threats., the absence 0f capable and legitimate institutions in a country exposes citizen to human rights abuses, criminal violence and persecution, all of which are recognised, explicitly or implicitly, both as direct causes of displacement and as signs of fragility. The combination of exposure to internal and external stresses and the strength of a country’s ‘immune system’ (the social capability for coping with stress embodied in legitimate institutions) will determine how fragile the country is. The stresses could be either security-related – legacies of violence and trauma, external invasion, external support for domestic rebels, cross-border conflict spill overs, transnational terrorism and international criminal networks; or justice-related – human rights abuses, real or perceived discrimination, and ethnic, religious or regional competition; or economic in nature – youth unemployment, corruption, rapid urbanization, price shocks and climate change. Some of these stresses (such as youth unemployment, price shocks, poorly managed natural resource wealth and corruption) could indirectly lead to people becoming refugees or IDPs. Conflict and fragility also hinder the pursuit of durable solutions for displaced populations. Fragility undermines durable solutions, in particular voluntary repatriation, in various ways. First, the fragility of areas of origin, the main cause of displacement in the first place, makes the whole idea of return Unattractive to the displaced and the institutions providing assistance. The IDPs in Somalia are more vulnerable the human rights violations and they are less protected for the sake of lack of well-functioning of institutions, legitimate authority and capacity to maintain law and order and to protect the its citizen internal and external threat.