Humanitarianism and Return: Compromising Protection?

The document examines the tensions between humanitarian protection and the push for the return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly in Somalia. It argues that return programming often relies on a flawed 'sedentary bias' and ignores the critical role of social networks and the reality of ongoing conflict. The authors warn that shifting aid from regional camps to unstable areas like south-central Somalia may serve state migration management interests rather than humanitarian needs, potentially increasing risks for returnees in environments of impunity.

• Humanitarian protection is often limited to mitigating the consequences of abuses rather than preventing them, as preventative measures are difficult to implement in conflict settings characterized by impunity and non-functioning legal systems.
• Mobility and social networks are primary self-protection strategies for displaced people, yet humanitarian frameworks often assume a 'natural rootedness' and a fixed definition of 'home' that does not account for protracted exile or contested borders.
• In Somalia, the installation of the Federal Government in late 2012 fueled a discourse of stabilization that pressured humanitarian actors to encourage the return of displaced populations to south-central Somalia, despite continued violence.
• Funding realities drive the relocation of aid; when donors withdraw support for refugee camps and provide funds for stabilization in south-central Somalia, NGOs inevitably move their activities, regardless of whether protection is guaranteed.
• Current return programming in south-central Somalia focuses on material aid (money, tools, plastic sheets) and fails to address underlying protection concerns or the necessity of rebuilding social networks for security and livelihoods.
• There is a significant risk that humanitarian aid becomes a tool for state migration management, potentially doing harm by transferring resources into environments of impunity where monitoring and absorption capacities are absent.

APA

Horst, C., & Sagmo, T. H. (2015). Humanitarianism and Return: Compromising Protection? Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/fdb15a8b-c3a4-4167-b432-156a9ccdde4b/Horst Sagmo - Humanitarism and Return PRIO Policy Brief 3-2015.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Horst, Cindy, and Tove Heggli Sagmo. Humanitarianism and Return: Compromising Protection? Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2015. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/fdb15a8b-c3a4-4167-b432-156a9ccdde4b/Horst Sagmo - Humanitarism and Return PRIO Policy Brief 3-2015.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Horst |first1=Cindy |last2=Sagmo |first2=Tove Heggli |title=Humanitarianism and Return: Compromising Protection? |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2015 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/fdb15a8b-c3a4-4167-b432-156a9ccdde4b/Horst Sagmo - Humanitarism and Return PRIO Policy Brief 3-2015.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{horst2015humanitarianism, author = {Horst, Cindy and Sagmo, Tove Heggli}, title = {{Humanitarianism and Return: Compromising Protection?}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2015}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/fdb15a8b-c3a4-4167-b432-156a9ccdde4b/Horst Sagmo - Humanitarism and Return PRIO Policy Brief 3-2015.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }