More than 3,000 Somalis fleeing the conflict in Yemen’s main cities including the capital Aden are living on handouts in Al Kharaz refugee camp.
They lack basic needs such as shelter, food and health care.
Habiba Dahir Mohamud, a widowed mother of five children, fled from Basatin neighborhood in Aden.
Speaking to Radio Ergo, she said had lived in Yemen for 18 years and had been working as a housemaid. She said lack of shelter was the main problem facing them.
“I arrived in Al Kharaz two months ago and stayed with another family. I was later told to move out and I am currently living in the open air,” she said.
Sheikh Abdirahman Mohamed Omar, with nine children and a blind wife, also came to the camps from Basatin about a month ago. He has been reduced to relying on whatever others can give to support his family.
“I make 1 kg of rice or flour or very little amounts of money from begging,” he said.
Saido Osman, 31-year-old mother of five, came to the camp last month.
“I came here to get security but I have faced a difficult living situation especially lack of basic needs like food, shelter and health. I beg in the camp. People give me some rice or bread to help me,” she said.
She said she had lost touch with her husband. “I left him in Aden before we were displaced by the fighting. My husband used to wash cars and I was a housemaid. That is how we managed to support our family,” she said.
She said she had been in Yemen for 14 years but would now like help to return to Somalia rather than endure the conflict and appalling conditions in the refugee camps.
The chairman of the refugee registration committee of Al Kharaz camp said over 3,000 new arrivals had been registered.
He said the new arrivals were all facing bad living conditions. “Some have made shelters under the trees. There are some families who couldn’t get enough to eat here and so went back to Aden, even though they had fled the city due to insecurity,” he said.
