UN / YEMEN SOMALI REFUGEES

Amid worsening conditions in Yemen, a UN spokesperson said, "almost 4,300 Somali refugees have now returned home from Yemen, since the roll-out in 2017 of an Assisted Spontaneous Return (ASR) programme, facilitated by UNHCR in cooperation with humanitarian partners and authorities in Yemen and Somalia.” UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:04
• Production Date: 31 May 2019
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES
• Geographic Subject: SOMALIA; YEMEN
• MAMS Id: 2401143
• Parent Id: 2401143
• Alternate Title: unifeed190531d

Description

STORY: UN / YEMEN SOMALI REFUGEES
TRT: 1:04
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 31 MAY 2019, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

RECENT – FILE – NEW YORK CITY

1.Exterior, United Nations Headquarters

31 MAY 2019, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, press briefing
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that almost 4,300 Somali refugees have now returned home from Yemen, since the roll-out in 2017 of an Assisted Spontaneous Return (ASR) programme, facilitated by UNHCR in cooperation with humanitarian partners and authorities in Yemen and Somalia. In the latest departure, a boat carrying 125 Somali refugees departed Aden on Wednesday afternoon. The vessel arrived at the Port of Berbera in Somalia yesterday morning, bringing home men, women and children in time for “Eid” holiday.”
4. Med shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“With Yemen being the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and civilians facing life-threatening conditions, the situation for refugees and asylum seekers and migrants has deteriorated significantly. Somali refugees comprise 90 per cent of Yemen’s refugee and asylum seeker population, or some 250,000 people.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room

Storyline

Amid worsening conditions in Yemen, a UN spokesperson said, "almost 4,300 Somali refugees have now returned home from Yemen, since the roll-out in 2017 of an Assisted Spontaneous Return (ASR) programme, facilitated by UNHCR in cooperation with humanitarian partners and authorities in Yemen and Somalia.”

Speaking to reporters today (31 May) in New York, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said “in the latest departure, a boat carrying 125 Somali refugees departed Aden on Wednesday afternoon. The vessel arrived at the Port of Berbera in Somalia yesterday morning, bringing home men, women and children in time for ‘Eid’ holiday.”

According to UNHCR, those who returned home this week include Somalis who had been born in Yemen to refugee parents, and others who were born in Somalia and who fled to Yemen hoping to escape conflict and insecurity.

Haq said, “with Yemen being the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and civilians facing life-threatening conditions, the situation for refugees and asylum seekers and migrants has deteriorated significantly.”

He added, “Somali refugees comprise 90 per cent of Yemen’s refugee and asylum seeker population, or some 250,000 people.”

According to UNHCR, refugee movements from Somalia to Yemen have been taking place since the 1980s. They continued following the outbreak of civil war in Somalia, with many fleeing generalized violence and individualized fear of persecution in addition to the consequences of drought and a lack of livelihood opportunities.

As a long-standing refugee host nation and the only country in the Arabian Peninsula signatory to the Refugee Convention and its Additional Protocol, Yemen currently hosts the world’s third largest Somali refugee population.

But with the conflict becoming prolonged, UNHCR, Yemeni national authorities and humanitarian partners face significant challenges in ensuring safety, humanitarian assistance and access to essential life-saving services for refugees and asylum-seekers in the country.

Just this month, Somali refugees were among those injured when strikes hit Yemen’s capital, Sana’a. In addition to the dangers posed by conflict many refugees now face increased hardship, lack access to basic services and struggle to cover basic needs and sustain themselves given the limited work and economic opportunities.

As a result, an increasing number of refugees have been approaching UNHCR for help in returning home, citing safety and security concerns and limited access to services. Thirty-three organized departures have now taken place from Yemen to Somalia since the commencement of the ASR programme in 2017.

Those returning home are assisted by UNHCR and partners, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM). They are helped with documentation, transportation and financial support in Yemen to facilitate the journey, as well as return and reintegration assistance.