Somalia: Influx of IDPs And Refugees in Yemen Strains Local Economies from allAfrica.com

As Yemen faces increasing movement of refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs), local host communities are struggling to maintain their already fragile economic stability.

Refugees have been migrating to Yemen from Somalia and the horn of Africa since the collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in Somalia in 1991. Somalis make up the greatest proportion of refugees in Yemen with a population of 158,180 according the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agency (UNHCR) in Yemen.

Meanwhile, IDPs have been fleeing the conflict between the Yemeni government and the Shia al-Houti rebels in the Sa'ada province in Northern Yemen since 2004. A recent spike in violence beginning in August 2009 has led to an increase in the IDP population, which UNHCR now estimates at 250,000.

Yemen is the only state party to the 1951 Refugee Convention in the Arabian Peninsula. The Refugee Convention defines refugees as people forced to leave their home country or country of residence for fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, or membership in a specific social or political group. The Convention mandates the recognition of rights of refugees including the right to education and work and travel documents. It also forbids refoulement, or the forceful repatriation of refugees to a country where they face threats to their safety or security. Yemen's location on the Gulf of Adan and the Red Sea, directly across from the Horn of Africa makes it a prime entry point for east African refugees.

Yet the high numbers of refugees are straining Yemen's already fragile economy. Rocco Nuri, Associate Reporting and External Relations Officer for UNHCR in Aden, Yemen described to MediaGlobal the enormity of the economic problem Yemen faces with the influx of refugees and IDPs. "Yemen, the poorest of the Arab states, with around 40 percent unemployment and 16 percent of the population living on less than one USD per day would have found itself in a more difficult position if the international community had not intervened with the provision of humanitarian assistance."

Andrej Mahecic, Senior Communications Officer for UNHCR in Geneva for East Asia and Pacific, Eastern Europe, Horn of Africa and Yemen, further elaborated to MediaGlobal on the conditions exacerbating the Yemeni government's difficulties dealing with the IDP and refugee populations. "Severe drought and food shortages, combined with the effects of the global financial downturn, have limited the government's ability to absorb the growing tide of refugees and migrants coming from the Horn of Africa as well as to meet all the needs of more than 200,000 internally displaced people affected by the conflict since 2004."

With an already unstable economy, Yemeni communities have struggled to accommodate displaced people into local systems. While some displaced people are living in camps, many have moved into towns individually or with family and friends. This creates housing instability as Marie Marullaz, UNHCR's Associate External Relations Officer for IDPs in Sana'a Yemen explained to MediaGlobal "In Amran Governorate, the situation is worrying where most of the IDPs reaching the area are seeking shelter with host communities or trying to rent houses. Faced with these challenges UNHCR and its implementing partners are providing tents to the displaced civilians in host communities to increase living space within housing compounds."

This influx of people has joined the economies of these communities, competing with locals for scarce jobs. Many refugees have responded to the job shortage by participating in income generating activities in the informal sector. Nuri told MediaGlobal, "The major challenge for refugees in Yemen is the very limited opportunity to engage in formal self reliance activities, with the vast majority of refugees working in the informal sector, as car washers, masons, electricians, cleaners, etcetera."

UNHCR has struggled to meet the needs of the growing population. Mahecic told MediaGlobal that UNHCR's budget, which floundered in 2007 at $4 million has increased to $28 million for 2010. But with budget increases aimed primarily at filling the gaps in basic services, such as food and shelter, more sustainable programs such as vocational training are only in the planning stages. UNHCR's work has also been hindered by increasing violence surrounding and aimed at international aid intervention. Many hurdles remain to securing stability and livelihoods for displaced people in Yemen and the Yemeni communities affected by their presence.