Somaliland Refugees Repatriated From Djibouti

Lowyado, Somaliland, November 24, 2007 (SL Times) – At least 32 Somaliland families who fled to Djibouti refugee camps when the civil war broke out in 1988 in what was then ‘north Somalia’ were this week repatriated back to Somaliland by the Somaliland ministry of rehabilitation and UNHCR.

A majority of the families were received by the mayors of Zeila and Lowyado coastal townships in Awdal region of Somaliland. UNHCR and Somaliland’s ministry of rehabilitation cooperated in this latest operation of resettling former civil war refugees who fled to Djibouti.

The vice chairman of Zeila district local authority, Ismail Mumin Aare told Somaliland Times that they were expecting at least 55 families from Djibouti to reach Lowyado on 20/11/07, but only 32 of the families were repatriated. Many of these families will be   re-uniting with their people in Hargeysa, Borama and Zeila.

These are the first families to be resettled from Djibouti this year, since UNHCR halted its repatriation program and activities last year.

All 32 families repatriated last week from Djibouti were provided with UNHCR food rations and funds to see them through the next coming nine months.

Source: Somaliland Times

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