Yemen Observer: http://www.yobserver.com

Majority of Somali refugees live in Yemen’s urban areas

Posted in: Front Page
Written By: Mohammed al-Kibsi
Article Date: May 17, 2008 - 2:09:39 AM
albasateen.jpg
Thousands of Somali refugees live in the al-Basateen slums outside of Aden after making the perilous journey across the Red Sea. This souk is filled with such refugees, as they perfer the life here to living in the Kharaz camps run by the UNHCR.
AL-BASATEEN, ADEN - According to Somali refugees living in the al-Basateen slum in Aden, they prefer to live in urban areas, even slums, rather than in Kharaz camp.

“We go to Kharaz camp for one sole purpose, to get identity cards,” said Abdullah Nour, a 35 year-old Somali refugee living in al-Basateen. 

Many of them work as car washers, porters or at construction sites in Aden and in its suburbs. 

Mohammed Ali, an 18 year-old from Mogadishu, said he arrived from Somalia four months ago in his fourth trip from Somalia to Yemen.  “I came to Yemen and could make my way to Saudi Arabia three times before, but in each time the Saudi authorities deported me to Somalia,” said Ali. 

He said that he paid $200 at each time for smugglers to take him to Saudi Arabia. “We go to Saudi Arabia because there we can have rice, meat and chicken,” said Ali. However, now he prefers to stay in Yemen because no one will deport him and because there is security and stability in Yemen. 

The 29 year-old Yasmeen Mohammed and her two little kids arrived at al-Basateen on May 9 from Bossasso. She says she did not know how to go to the Kharaz camp and instead so she is in al-Basateen searching for shelter or a Somali family that could host her and her two kids. 

She alleged that she saw the smugglers throwing several refugees off the boat she was on. “I still dream of that brutal scenes and feel unrest whenever I remember it,” said Yasmeen.

Al-Basateen slum is not the only slum where Somali refugees live in Aden, as many other new slums are being established in different suburbs of Aden, particularly in the road to Mukalla, said some Somali refugees.

She said that although she knew how risky it is to go from Bossasso to Yemen, she decided to come to Yemen because of the dangers that exist in Somalia, as a person might be killed any time. 

“Three to four persons from each Somali family have been killed in the recent few years,” said Yasmeen. 

Farheya Mohammed, 39, lives in Kharaz camp and said that she lost her four kids and her mother in Mogadishu and still suffers of sickness since she lost her four kids 12 years ago. However, she married another Somali refugee in Kharaz camp following her arrival to Yemen, yet he divorced her and left her, along with her two sons, Saleh and Ali, and her nine year-old daughter, Rummana. 

“Life here is much better and safer and thanks for the help of my brother Ali who lives and work in Kharaz camp,” said Frheya. She said that her sons and daughter now go to Assalam school in Kharaz camp. Some 1148 Somali students study in Assalam schooling the camp. Among them are 527 girls, while the rest are boys. 

They all study the Yemeni curriculum and the school is run and observed by the Yemeni Ministry of Education, said Omar Jama the school headmaster. 

The school also runs a kindergarten where 80 girls and 75 little boys study the Somali and Arabic alphabet and basic reading and writing skills. 

More than 9,000 Somali and Ethiopian refugees live in Kharaz camp and 25 new blocks have been established to house new refugees and each block contains 18 rooms to house as many as 40 or more refugees.