Highlight
More than 29,000 people have arrived in Somalia from Yemen since March. The situation in Yemen has escalated into deadliest killings accruing to violence between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.
Analysis
The movement of refugees from Yemen to Somalia reverses a decades-old trend whereby Somalis have sought safety from decades of war in Yemen.
Between 2010- 2011, a large number of Somali civilians moved from their country as the security situation deteriorated, with 50,000 arriving in neighboring countries in the first quarter of 2011 compared to 23,000 in the same period in 2010.
Despite the risks involved and the anti-government unrest in Yemen, more than 22,000 refugees and migrants from Somalia arrived on Yemeni shores during the first three months of this year.
The majority of these refugees came from the Bay and Bakol regions of southern and central Somalia, two of the major conflict zones in the country.
Kenya, as compared to other countries in the region, received most of 2011 arrivals. Close to 50,000 refugees were registered by the Kenyan authorities and UNHCR in Dadaab refugee camp complex in the short period.
As it is, Yemen is undergoing intense air strikes and fierce ground fighting nationwide that has killed thousands and displaced several hundreds of thousands.
Summary
It is an undisputable fact that the situation in Yemen has reversed the Somalis’ movement for safety from civil unrest.
Also true is the fact that the ongoing gains made by AMISOM troops in Somalia have created a haven for Somali native returnees who now prefer their own country to the severely war-torn Yemen.
