Refugees are predominantly from Ethiopia and Yemen and reside mainly in urban centres and coastal towns under civil residency arrangements rather than in formal camps. Since December 2022, conflict in Laascaanood, Sool region has displaced between 154,000 and 203,000 people, with UNHCR recording 191,000 displacements. Many have fled to Puntland, Somaliland, and Ethiopia, with 100,000 people crossing the border. 

Despite limited capacity, Somalia has ratified key international treaties, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, yet has not ratified the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention. The draft Federal Refugee Act and IDP Act are under review, while Somaliland enacted its Refugee and Asylum Seekers Act (2023). Statelessness is addressed through Somalia’s ratification of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, both instruments enjoying constitutional precedence, yet Somalia lacks national laws protecting stateless persons. Although a National Action Plan on Statelessness (2021-2024) exists, the current citizenship law does not prevent statelessness. 

Somalia is among the hardest-hit countries by climate change, with communities facing droughts, floods, ecosystem degradation, and resource scarcity. While climate change does not directly cause conflict, it intensifies competition over resources, fuels displacement, and strengthens armed groups. The 2023 El Niño floods and historic droughts affected 7.8 million people, with 1.6 million displacements recorded since 2022. Climate financing is insufficient compared to Somalia’s needs, though USD 110 million from the Green Climate Fund is expected by mid-2025.