Somalia - IOM Somalia has received USD 150,000 from the Government of Japan to help Somali returnees fleeing the conflict in Yemen. 

The funding will be used for post-arrival assistance for the most vulnerable and will include health checks and hospital referrals, onward transportation, temporary accommodation, and reintegration packages whenever possible.

To date some 9,279 individuals have arrived in Somalia to escape the fighting. They include 8,514 Somalis, 688 Yemenis, and 77 third country nationals en route to their countries of origin.

The donation is part of a USD 2.4 million Japanese emergency aid grant provided to IOM and other international organizations to support internally displaced persons in Yemen and people arriving in Djibouti and Somalia to escape the conflict.

“IOM is grateful to the Government of Japan for their contribution, which will help us provide post-arrival assistance for the most vulnerable returnees,” said IOM Somalia Chief of Mission Gerry Waite.

As the conflict in Yemen continues, thousands of women, children and men, including approximately  250,000 Somali refugees and an equal number of Somali migrants, remain trapped in Yemen.

IOM expects that the number of people attempting to reach Somalia will continue to rise.

The Japanese funding follows a USD 84 million IOM appeal launched earlier this week to support its emergency operations in Yemen and the Horn of Africa. 

Details of the appeal can be downloaded from: http://www.iom.int/news/iom-appeals-usd-84-million-population-affected-conflict-yemen

For more information, please contact IOM Somalia. Craig Murphy, Tel: +254 717 711 822, Email: cmurphy@iom.int or Feisal Mohamud, Tel: +252 616 967 435 or +254 721 290074, Email:  famuhamud@iom.int