Somalia continues to face an extended and intricate humanitarian emergency resulting from the interplay of armed conflict, political instability, climate-related challenges, and persistent displacement. By 2025, approximately half the population needed humanitarian support, with over 3.4 million individuals remaining displaced within the country. The displacement situation has become more prolonged and concentrated in urban areas, with protection concerns being acute, ongoing, and unevenly spread, especially in heavily populated urban and surrounding regions.

This Protection and Conflict Sensitivity Assessment investigates protection challenges, obstacles to accessing rights and services, and conflict situations in Banadir Region (Daynile, Kaxda, Garasbaley), Bari Region (Qardho), and Galgaduud (Dhusamareb). These locations represent significant displacement and protection zones, distinguished by large numbers of internally displaced people, housing insecurity, limited access to basic services, and vulnerability to violence. Ordered by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and carried out by Roots Development Initiative (RDI), the study employs a combination of research methods, including household surveys, Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and a literature review. The research is based on UNHCR’s protection-focused, rights-based strategy and guided by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Framework on Durable Solutions for IDPs.