Some 2,500 Somali refugees from Yemen return home – official

About 2,500 Somali refugees who fled the war in Yemen have arrived in Bossaso town, northeast of Somalia, authorities said Saturday.

Mohamed Abdi, an official with Rescue Committee formed by the Government of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland to help refugees fleeing war in Yemen, told Xinhua by phone that they had received 2,500 Somalis from Yemen.
“We will take them to camps dedicated to them. And we will try to help, but we need assistance from various stakeholders to resettle the returnees,” said Abdi.
Abdi said the Puntland administration has called on humanitarian agencies to provide medical services and supplies to the returnees, noting that some of them have contracted medical conditions owing to the harsh conditions traveling by sea from Yemen.
“I call on the charity organizations to deliver humanitarian and medical aid to them. Some of them are in poor state of health after days in the sea, especially the elderly and children,” Abdi added.
There have been several rescue missions by the Somali government to evacuate the over 300,000 Somalis who are in Yemen. Businessmen from Somalia have also joined hands to send ships to the worn-torn region of Yemen to evacuate Somalis who are trapped there.
Many Somalis fled to Yemen, after war broke out in Somalia following the collapse the government in 1991. However, the airstrikes and fighting in Yemen since March this year is forcing them to go back home.