Somaliland - With support from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KS-Relief), IOM is building up the institutional capacity of immigration and coastguard officials in Somaliland who are at the forefront of the humanitarian response to help thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing the conflict in Yemen.

The support includes an eight-day training workshop for 30 immigration and coastguard officers – monitored by five senior government officials – which kicked off on 22 October 2016. The selected coastguard officials work in Zailac, Hargeisa, Maydh, and Berbera. The immigration officers are based in Hargeisa and Berbera.

The senior officials include the Deputy Regional Governor of Sahil Region, the Mayor of the District of Berbera and Berbera’s Immigration Department Officer.

The training focuses on increasing the capacity of relevant government officials in protection, awareness and data management of Yemeni refugees, Somali returnees and migrants from Yemen. After the training, IOM will donate office and communications equipment to Somaliland’s Berbera immigration office.

By the end of the training, the participants will have gained vital skills in protection of vulnerable groups, how to respond to individual and mass arrivals, and in data collection, storage and management.

“Many coast guards and immigration officers across Somalia are trained on the job. Given the limited funding available to the government for continuous professional development, support from KS-Relief is vital in ensuring that vulnerable families fleeing the conflict in Yemen are treated in a dignified and humane manner. IOM deeply appreciates this ongoing support,” said Gerard Waite, IOM Somalia Chief of Mission.

The training is part of a USD 10 million project that will benefit almost 20,000 people who have to date fled to Somalia from war-torn Yemen. It is being implemented by the IOM and UNHCR, in close coordination with the Somalia Task Force on the Yemen Situation, and respective regional and local authorities.

For further information, please contact:

Nasser Alsubaie at KS-Relief, Tel: +966 539186339, Email: nasser.alsubaie@ksrelief.org
Heidrun Salzer at IOM Somalia, Tel: + 252 617722 436, Email: hsalzer@iom.int
Julien Navier at UNHCR Nairobi, Tel: +254 732 400 044, Email: navier@unhcr.org