Wednesday June 12, 2024
FILE - Somali refugees board a plane to return to Mogadishu from Dadaab camp in Kenya.© UNHCR/A.Nasrullah
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia is hosting 39,286 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of May, according to new information released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday.
The UNHCR update revealed that 66 percent of these refugees and asylum seekers are women and children, primarily from Ethiopia and Yemen. Most reside in urban or peri-urban areas in northern Somalia's Woqooyi Galbeed and Bari regions.
Of the total, 47 percent, or 18,559 individuals, are refugees, while 20,727 are asylum seekers. Somalia continues to face increased attacks from the al-Shabab militant group, exacerbating the situation.
Since December 2014, the UNHCR has assisted 95,181 Somali refugees in returning home, while 43,897 have returned spontaneously, bringing the total number of returnees to 130,078.
Additionally, more than 800,000 Somali refugees and asylum seekers are hosted in neighbouring countries. In the first five months of 2024, 215,000 people were internally displaced in Somalia, adding to the 2.9 million displaced in 2023 due to conflict and natural disasters.