Climate-induced displacement and legal protection gaps: rethinking migration governance for sustainable development in Somalia

Introduction Climate change has emerged as a major driver of displacement in Somalia, contributing to a large population of climate-displaced internally displaced persons. However, international migration law remains inadequately equipped to recognise and protect people displaced by cumulative environmental harm, slow-onset climate processes, and interacting climatic, socioeconomic, and political vulnerabilities. Methods This study employs a qualitative doctrinal and comparative legal approach. It examines international refugee and human rights law, African regional instruments, including the Kampala Convention and the IGAD Free Movement Protocol, and Somalia’s domestic displacement and climate-policy frameworks. Secondary evidence from international organisations and national policy documents is used to contextualise the legal analysis. Results The analysis identifies a persistent legal protection gap. Climate-displaced populations in Somalia generally fall outside the 1951 Refugee Convention and depend on fragmented domestic policies, soft-law instruments, and incompletely implemented regional mechanisms. Although the Kampala Convention and Article 16 of the IGAD Free Movement Protocol offer promising foundations for climate-responsive mobility governance, their practical effect is constrained by weak domestication, institutional fragmentation, limited capacity, insecurity, and insufficient financing. Discussion Climate-induced displacement should be treated not only as a humanitarian concern but also as a legal, governance, and sustainable-development challenge. The study recommends stronger human-rights-based interpretations of existing protection norms, implementation of regional mobility instruments, and adoption of binding climate-responsive legislation in Somalia addressing land rights, planned relocation, urban integration, institutional accountability, and durable solutions.