Global Arab Network | UNHCR: Migration flow from Horn of Africa to Yemen halved

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UNHCR: Migration flow from Horn of Africa to Yemen halved

Global Arab Network - - Reda Darwish

Friday, 09 April 2010 17:08

The UNHCR said on Friday that the migration flow from the Horn of Africa to Yemen has nearly halved during the first quarter of the year in comparison with the same period in 2009.

According to Melissa Fleming, press officer of the UNHCR in a press briefing today said "Since the beginning of the year, some 9,400 people reached the shores of Yemen in contrast to nearly 17,000 between January and March 2009." Fleming pointed out, that this decline doesn't mean a better situation in Somalia, as the Somalis are still suffering from the very bad situation in the country.

"Many Somali civilians are daily forced to flee their homes; this year began with some of the worst and deadliest fighting in Somalia since early 2009.

The first three months of 2010 recorded some of highest displacement rates since January 2009 with an estimated 169,000 people being forced to leave their homes in south central Somalia", she said.

However, the number of new Somali arrivals in the region remains relatively small. More than 20,000 Somali refugees fled the neighboring countries - mostly to Kenya (over 12,000) and Ethiopia (over 5,500) since the beginning of the year.

Fleming said that most of the Somali refugees don't have enough money to pay for going to Yemen or to the northern of Somalia, there is a general insecurity as the main reason deterring their movements towards the north.

The refugees also reported that there are visible efforts by Somali Puntland authorities to stem the human trafficking and mentioned that there is a large number of new arrivals in Bossaso waiting to be smuggled to Yemen.

UNHCR teams in northern Somalia continue to assist the displaced population. ln addition, intensive information campaigns warn those contemplating the risky passage to Yemen of the dangers involved.

The civilian population in Somalia continues to suffer one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. There are an estimated 1.4 million IDPs in Somalia while nearly 570,000 Somalis live as refugees in the neighbouring countries 170,000 of them are in yemen.

Global Arab Network

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