- Djibouti has become a common migration route for Somali asylum seekers wanting to reach the Middle East, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported. Most of them travelled by patched boats from Djibouti to Yemen.
This year alone, more than 550 Somali asylum seekers and migrants entered Djibouti through Somaliland. About 700 such people sneaked their way into Djibouti last year.
A joint UNHCR/government team was informed about the frequent flow of asylum seekers from Somaliland.
The Spokesperson of UNHCR, Ron Redmond, told journalists in Geneva that "previously, some asylum seekers would make a treacherous journey around the hilly region separating Djibouti and Somaliland to avoid being stranded at the border for days."
UNHCR and government authorities have requested the Somali asylum seekers to be allowed entry into Djibouti and remain their under international obligations.
Djibouti government and UNHCR are trying to set up a reception facility close to the border where asylum seekers could be received and screened before they are transferred to Ali Addeh camp. This camp is currently hosting 7,000 refugees from Somalia.
The refugees complained of receiving little assistance in settlements for internally displaced persons and have no means of livelihood.
Border authorities accused smugglers of roaming Somaliland, offering to take asylum seekers and migrants by boat on a dangerous journey to the Gulf of Aden to Yemen.
Last year, of the nearly 3,000 people who arrived in Yemen, 1,400 people who attempted to cross the Gulf died or are missing.
Last year alone, more than 29,000 people sailed on the shores of Yemen. However, over 1,400 could not survive during the journey.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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