Frontline News
© UNHCR/
M. Ahmed
Somali children in Ali Addeh camp, in the southeastern
part of Djibouti, near the mountainous borders with Ethiopia and Somalia.
Housing is a key issue for refugees living in Ali Addeh camp; about 25% of them
say they do not have any form of proper shelter.
If only I could have a tent
“Housing is one of our main problems. We don’t have tents so we build houses made of sticks. We cut trees to build houses but now there are fewer and fewer trees and now we have to walk long distances to look for sticks, which can be risky. I really hope to get a tent. Because we lack shelter, men usually sleep outside.”
- Hibo, a Somali refugee woman, Ali Addeh camp, Djibouti
Background info
Ali Addeh camp was founded more than 19 years ago in the southeast corner of the country near the mountainous borders with Ethiopia and Somaliland. The camp – which hosts both long-term refugees and new arrivals - is located in a semi-arid desert area prone to drought. The climate is hot and humid with soaring temperatures; Somali refugees have a hard time adapting to this extreme climate.
The sparse vegetation that used to exist around the camp has largely disappeared because for almost two decades refugees living in Ali Addeh camp have been cutting down trees and foraging for wood for both shelter and firewood. While the refugees are aware that cutting trees has a negative impact on their environment, they continue to do so because there are no other building materials or fuels available. Trips to find sticks and wood now require overnight trips that put women, who traditionally fetch firewood, at an increased risk of sexual violence.
About 25% of the refugees in Djibouti say they do not have any form of proper shelter, which means they need about 2,600 tents.
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