8 January 2014, Geneva, Switzerland - UNOSAT continues its monitoring of the large population of internally displaced persons roaming in and around Mogadishu, Somalia. In its new analytical report released on 2 January, UNOSAT says less IDPs are living in Mogadishu city than previously. This report is the sixth in a series of IDP analyses done by UNOSAT since 2011 and is based on a time-series analysis of shelter concentrations within the city using multiple satellite images acquired between 30 March 2011 and 24 November 2013. Satellites used for this job by the experts at UNOSAT include Quick Bird, World View 1 and 2, Geo Eye 1, and Pleiades.

An estimate of the total number of IDP structures located in Mogadishu indicates a minimum figure of at least 55,000, mostly informal shelters. The number of IDP camps has significantly reduced in multiple areas of Mogadishu. A total of 324 distinct IDP shelter concentrations were identified as of 24 November 2013 within Mogadishu, representing a decrease of 56 IDP sites since the previous UNOSAT analysis based on satellite imagery dating June 2013.

The decrease in the number of IPS is in line with the forecast made by UNHCR, whose strategy in Somalia for 2014 includes a shift from providing care and maintenance to searching for durable solutions for people of concern. UNHCR says that their activities will focus on the return of IDPs and refugees to their areas of origin.
 

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Image: Detail of the UNOSAT latest update on IDP in Mogadishu.