The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has issued a new ‘Country Guidance: Somalia’. The document is based on recent information on the situation in the country and aims to assist national decision-makers in the analysis of the criteria for qualification for international protection in accordance with EU legislation and general EUAA guidance. 

According to the annual overview of asylum trends in 2021 released by the EUAA, Somalia was in the top 10 countries of origin in relation to applications for international protection lodged in the EU+. More specifically, Somalis lodged close to 16 400 applications in 2021, the most since 2016. 

The ‘Country Guidance: Somalia’ reflects a joint EU+ position on international protection needs and provides an in-depth country-specific analysis in a practical tool for asylum officials. The guidance aims to ensure that similar cases are treated and decided on in a similar manner and in accordance with the applicable international and EU legislation, without replacing the individual assessment required in each case.

The elements addressed in the ‘Country Guidance: Somalia’ are: actors of persecution or serious harm, refugee status, subsidiary protection, actors of protection, internal protection alternative, and exclusion. Al-Shabaab’s control and operational capacity in Somalia as well as the prominent role of clans in the Somali society have been carefully taken into consideration in the analysis.

The ‘Country Guidance: Somalia’ publication is available in a user-friendly electronic book format, as well as in pdf. It can be viewed here.

To learn more about the methodology and content of the country guidance documents and to access the guidance on other countries of origin, you can visit the EUAA’s Country Guidance page.