• World Report 2012: Somalia
    The year was marked by ongoing fighting in Somalia and abuses by the warring parties, including indiscriminate attacks harming civilians. While the armed Islamist al-Shabaab group continued to control more territory than any other group in South and Central Somalia, the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG)—with the support of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and militias aligned to the TFG, notably Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ) and Raskamboni—gained control over new areas in Mogadishu, the capital, and small areas along the border with Kenya and Ethiopia. On August 6 al-Shabaab withdrew from Mogadishu, citing tactical reasons, but has continued to attack the capital, including with suicide bombings.
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    • Life Under al-Shabaab
      Apr 19 2010 - 09:12

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  • Abuses by All Sides Fueling Crisis in Somalia

    Rona Peligal on the 58-page report, “‘You Don’t Know Who to Blame’: War Crimes in Somalia,” which documents numerous abuses during renewed fighting in the past year by parties to the 20-year-long conflict in Somalia. These include the Islamist armed group al-Shabaab, the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), the African Union peacekeeping forces (AMISOM), and Kenya- and Ethiopia-backed Somali militias. The report also examines abuses by the Kenyan police and crimes committed by bandits in neighboring Kenya against Somali refugees.

Reports

Somalia

  • Kenya: Security Forces Abusing Civilians Near Somalia Border
    Jan 12, 2012
    The Kenyan security forces are beating and arbitrarily detaining citizens and Somali refugees in Kenya’s North Eastern province, which borders on Somalia, despite repeated pledges to stop such abuses.
  • Somaliland: End Forced Return of Refugees
    Jan 4, 2012
    The Somaliland authorities should cease forcibly returning refugees and asylum seekers to possible persecution in Ethiopia. On December 28, authorities returned 20 Ethiopian refugees and asylum seekers in violation of the fundamental international refugee law prohibition against “refoulement,” the forcible return of anyone to persecution or to a place where their life or freedom is threatened.
  • Kenya: Investigate Bombing of Somali Village
    Dec 21, 2011
    The government of Kenya should investigate the death of as many as 11 civilians during a Kenyan air force raid on Hosingow village in Somalia on December 20, 2011. Both the Kenyan armed forces and the armed group al-Shabaab should take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties during military operations.
  • US: End CIA Drone Attacks
    Dec 19, 2011
    The US government should transfer Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) command of aerial drone strikes to the armed forces and clarify its legal rationale for targeted killings, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to President Barack Obama and in a questions and answers document. A dramatic increase in the use of CIA drone strikes underscores the need for the US to demonstrate that the CIA adheres to international legal requirements for accountability, Human Rights Watch said.
  • Q & A: US Targeted Killings and International Law
    Dec 19, 2011
    This Q&A focuses on legal and policy issues related to targeted killings, primarily attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles, known as drones, conducted by the US Armed Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Human Rights Watch raised many of the issues addressed here in a December 2010 letter to President Obama.
  • Letter to President Obama: Targeted Killings by the US Government
    Dec 16, 2011
    The Obama administration has taken few steps to provide greater transparency and accountability in conducting targeted killings, intensifying concerns both in the US and abroad about the lawfulness of these attacks.
  • Kenya: Security Forces Arbitrarily Detaining People
    Nov 28, 2011
    The Kenyan police and military should stop using illegal mass-round-ups and beatings as a substitute for proper police investigative work. Attacks by suspected al-Shabaab sympathizers on the military and civilians inside Kenya do not justify violating the rights of civilians.
  • Kenya: Respect Law in Somalia Military Operations
    Nov 18, 2011
    The Kenyan government should ensure that its forces in Somalia abide by the laws of war and avoid harm to civilians. The government should also promptly and impartially investigate recent incidents in which Kenyan forces may have violated international humanitarian or human rights law.
  • Kenya: Human Rights Concerns of Operation “Linda Nchi”
    Nov 18, 2011
    Human Rights Watch writes to the Kenyan Minister of State for Defence, Yusuf Haji, to raise concerns regarding possible violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law by elements of the Kenyan armed forces during Operation “Linda Nchi.”
  • Somalia: Al-Shabaab Attack Indefensible
    Oct 5, 2011
    The bombing claimed by the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, on October 4, 2011, is an indefensible attack on civilians. The attack, along with an upsurge in fighting in the towns of Dhobley and Dhusamareb that left at least 11 civilians dead, highlights the price civilians are paying in the Somali conflict.
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