Eastern Zone DCSA

police was very high. The qualitative data, however, revealed a number of alarming incidents related to crime and violence; moreover, the focus
group participants harshly criticized the police and disparaged their effectiveness.
The divergences were reconciled with the context of the study site, the unstable environment and fear of existing insurgencies had resulted in a
climate of fear with people being very cautious to whom they give information to - research participants were reticent to speak of, or report,
crimes for fear of being victimised themselves.
Researchers witnessed a sense of reluctance from the household survey respondents in answering questions due to the pervasive wariness of
speaking to outsiders. The level of mistrust and fear apparent within the districts engendered superficial responses from respondents across a
number of thematic areas, but were most notable in questions related to security, conflict and violence. Unfortunately this was to the detriment
of the assessment and affected both accuracy and efficacy. Researchers also noticed that focus group participants tended to withhold
information; however the moderator was able to engage with them and alleviate their mistrust, resulting in highly informative discussions.
The following summarises the key findings of the assessment:
Conflict and violence
Although episodes of widespread systemic group/clan related violence have reduced dramatically, reports of a proliferation of small arms
continue to exacerbate the volatile security situation. There were allegations that militants of unascertained status erect roadblocks at night and
extort civilians. This is an issue that calls for further investigation and action by the properly mandated security apparatus. Additionally, land
disputes were reported as the most common cause of conflict and family disputes were reported as the most common incidences of violence.
Land disputes derived from a lack of stable central governance and a land administration system according to participants; while family disputes
were attributed to the dire socio-economic situation apparent in the district.
Security
While there is a police station in every district the number of police officers was perceived to be insufficient and the subsequent coverage and
visibility of the police was minimal (only respondents from neighbourhoods near the stations reported an awareness of police presence). The
police were not only understaffed but also underfunded, underpaid and lacking in many facilities that has rendered them vulnerable to
corruption. Besides the police force there were other security providers operating in the district including: African Union Mission in Somalia
(AMISOM), the Somali National Army (SNA), the National Intelligence Services Agency (NISA) and numerous armed factions whose status could
not be determined by respondents. The efforts of the various security providers were not well coordinated. In the absence of a well-functioning
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