Thousands of Yemenis seeking refuge in troubled Somalia

By Mohamed Hirmoge
Wednesday, June 3, 2015

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Thousands of Yemeni refugees continue to flee the country, with many heading across the Gulf of Aden to places like Somalia and Djibouti.

Yemen is in the middle of its most severe crisis on record. And the country's most vulnerable suffer most. Many have fled to Somalia. From one troubled country to another.

"We fled from one crisis, but there's another one here. One battle in our country - another war here. We hope things ease back home. Then we will go back to our country," said Fahad Uthman, Yemeni refugee.

It took Fahad's family more than a week to reach Somali waters. But they had little choice.

"We had nowhere else to run to. We couldn't go to Saudi Arabia because the border is closed. Our only option was Somalia, and honestly, at the moment, Mogadishu has better security than our country," Fahad Uthman said.

Fleeing the war at home, thousands of Yemenis have made it across the gulf to find refuge in Djibouti. Many other arrive in the safe Somali ports of Berbera and Bosao almost every day. While some seek shelter in the unsettled Somali capital.

Somalia is considered one of the most dangerous places on the planet. So, coming here highlights just how dire the situation has become in Yemen.

"The situation here is not as bad as we thought, but the biggest problem is how to survive and feed our children. We don't know this city, we have no food, we can't even get out of this house," said Ruweyda Omar, Yemeni refugee.

As the conflict rages back home, more refugees are expected in Somalia - a country that already houses tens of thousands of its own Internally Displaced.

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