Diaspora groups have become key humanitarian actors

In 2022 Somalia suffered one of the worst draughts in the country’s history. 43.000 people died, half of these under the age of five, and many more suffered starvation leaving a large part of the population exposed to diseases like measles or malaria. 

This is just one example of the numerous crisis Somalia has suffered over the years including civil war and state collapse. As a consequence two million people have left the country and now form a large international Somali diaspora.

Diaspora groups have emerged as key humanitarian actors in situations of displacement and conflict. They are often the first to assist in acute emergencies and remain engaged during lengthy and complex crisis.

In this episode we look into these types of assistance as a growing trend of humanitarian support. Because what happens when new actors such as business women, youth, clan associations and religious communities play new and important roles in humanitarian assistance.

To answer this question we have invited Sahra Ahmed Koshin, Fatima Dahir and Abdirahman Edle. They are Phd-students at DIIS where they research how different Somali diaspora groups mobilize and deliver humanitarian assistance to Somalia.