Eastern Zone DCSA

Figure 11: Respondents’ account of witnessing a crime against
someone outside the homestead
in the qualitative discussions 15 . On the other hand respondents in
the household survey reported fairly high levels of safety (Fig 12).
Figure 12: Respondents’ perception of safety in the area
Many of the suicide attacks in Mogadishu tended to be
indiscriminate and civilians had been caught in explosions or
ensuing crossfire. According to the women discussion participants,
victims from poor backgrounds were more adversely affected since
they could not afford to seek medical care or the victim might have
been the only breadwinner in a large family.
3.1.3. Perception of Safety
There were contradicting reports regarding the perception of safety
in Mogadishu’s Eastern Zone. There were concerns about
extrajudicial killings and haphazard branding of the innocent
bystanders or victims as insurgents along with petty street theft,
extortion by militants and a failing security apparatus - all identified
This apparent contradiction might allude to the high level of
mistrust amongst the community and fear of recriminations
mentioned earlier. Male and female respondents also mentioned
these fairly high levels of safety at nearly equal rates (Fig 13).
15 Traditional Elders, Focus Group Discussion, Eastern Zone, 4 March 2014
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