Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has brought home 160 nationals from Yemen, offering a route back to safety for families who have endured years of conflict and insecurity in the country.
The group repatriated on Wednesday included 59 women and children. While some returnees had spent decades in Yemen, others were born there and were visiting Somalia for the first time.
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Liban Abdi Egal, federal commissioner of Somalia’s National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRI), said the government was committed to helping citizens facing difficult conditions in conflict-affected countries, especially Yemen.
Egal said additional return operations from Yemen were possible, given that many Somalis remain in the country. Some are registered as refugees with the United Nations refugee agency.
He stressed that the latest arrivals had returned voluntarily and were not forcibly repatriated.
At a returnee integration centre, officials provided the arrivals with medical examinations, registration services, identification cards and mobile phones. Assistance was also arranged to help them travel to their respective home areas.
“The government, in cooperation with relevant agencies, is preparing job creation initiatives, training programs and business support to help the returnees reintegrate into society and sustain their livelihoods in Somalia,” he added.
Egal said the commission was also prepared to assist Somali citizens returning from other countries, including Libya, other African nations and India.
The operation was organised jointly by Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Officials described the repatriation as part of broader efforts to bring Somali nationals home from countries facing conflict and challenging security conditions.
