MOGADISHU, Somalia – A plane carrying 145 Somali migrants arrived in Mogadishu after departing from Tripoli, Libya.
Among them, 37 youth disembarked at Hargeisa Airport, while the remaining 108 landed shortly afterward in Mogadishu.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ishak Mohamud Mursal said Somali government is committed to repatriating citizens facing hardship due to illegal migration.
“We have welcomed young people we rescued from Libya,” Mursal said.
Somalia’s Special Presidential Envoy on Migration, Mariam Yasin, thanked President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for prioritizing migrant repatriation.
She praised President Mohamud’s engagement with Libyan authorities, which helped facilitate the return of stranded Somali youth.
Yasin also thanked the Somali Foreign Ministry, IOM, EU Mission, and Somalia’s Libya embassy for their repatriation efforts.
Smugglers lure Somalis with false promises of reaching Europe, only to hand them over to hostage-takers.
Hundreds are now stranded in Libya and are facing harsh conditions and regret leaving home for a better life.
Many hoped to cross the Mediterranean but instead found themselves trapped in a cycle of violence, hunger, and fear.
Traffickers known as “Magafe” intercept migrants in Libya and subject them to torture untill ransom is paid.
Many now plead for help to return home as Somalia’s embassy in Tripoli struggles with slow and complex repatriation efforts.
