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Leaving one’s nation would be a horrible experience. Leaving behind what you know to settle somewhere you have never been before, is unfathomable to some people. However, for a refugee, this is an experience that they know all too well as it is their reality. For the Somali refugees, this is no different. Following the Somali civil war in 1980, Somalians sought asylum in a variety of countries, primarily Ethiopia, Djibouti, and lastly, Yemen. Yemen was seen as a gate of entry into the richer Gulf states and for many it seemed like a path to a stable and secure life, boasting the third-largest Somali refugee population.
However, the result and life in Yemen were not what the refugees may have expected. The Yemeni humanitarian crisis has been an event that has plagued the nation, leading to food shortages for Yemeni people, as well as the Somalian refugees that are situated in Yemen. The humanitarian crisis has not only led to a harder life in terms of acquiring food, but due to the loss of work, many Somalis are citing labor shortages and unpaid labor at the hands of discrimination among Yemenis. The further deterioration of the economic structure in Yemen caused by the International monetary fund’s structural adjustment policies has led to the refugees from Somalia being treated as scapegoats among the Yemeni public.
These events have led to unsanitary conditions, as well as a lack of essential services for Somali and Yemeni alike. Due to the lack of citizenship and racial discrimination from the general population, Yemen’s state provides little support for the Somali refugee population, making it very difficult to receive most forms of sustenance, leading to a deteriorating health crisis for the asylum seekers.
Now, with the proliferating severity of the Yemeni humanitarian crisis, many Somalis wish to return back to their homeland, seeing it as better than remaining in Yemen. However, this journey is very difficult, as most ships that attempt to cross between Yemen to Somalia are not prepared to face the tides of the Gulf of Aden resulting in many drowning off of the Yemeni coast. Once returning to Somalia, refugees must return to a nation that remains destabilized and riddled with war and conflict, resulting in a journey filled with tragedy and heartbreak. Both of these crises require immediate action to ensure the livelihood of both Yemenis and Somalis.
Ieuan Edwards, Oct 2021.