UN envoy concerned about influx of refugees back into Somalia

MOGADISHU Somalia (Xinhua) — The newly appointed United Nation’s Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Peter de Clercq, on Wednesday expressed concerns about the influx of returnees and Yemeni refugees into the country. De Clercq said over 28,000 people have arrived in Somalia since April.

“I am, however, encouraged by the positive spirit of cooperation on the ground between humanitarian organizations and the relevant authorities, and, so far, the mechanisms put in place appear to work well,” said de Clercq.

The UN envoy has completed his first official visit to Puntland and Somaliland in northern Somalia, urging joint efforts to settle the arrivals to avert a humanitarian crisis.

 

De Clercq visited reception centers in the coastal cities of Berbera and Bosasso, where he said he saw the newly arrived being registered, provided with food, mattresses and blankets, and medical care.

 

“While their conditions are under control due to a relatively good humanitarian response, limited resources, environmental factors and insecurity continue to pose significant challenges,” he said, adding that an estimated 220,000 people are internally displaced in Puntland and Somaliland.

 

He said more than 60 humanitarian organizations were working in Puntland and Somaliland where hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people “remain at the mercy of natural phenomena”.