xiinfaniin Posted July 29, 2009 Somalia: Civilians Flee for Yemen Thousands of Somalis fleeing fighting around the capital, Mogadishu, have massed in the northern town of Bossasso, trying to cross the Gulf of Aden and sneak into Yemen, the United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday. Up to 12,000 civilians have taken shelter in Bossasso, the base where smugglers take them to Yemen, the agency’s spokesman, Ron Redmond, said in Geneva. Thirty-thousand Somalis have made the crossing this year, but more than 300 people have died trying or are missing. The agency said nearly a quarter million Somalis had fled their homes since May 7, when Islamist rebels launched a concerted attack on Mogadishu. “These people are obviously reaching the end of their rope,” Mr. Redmond said. “They see no future in Somalia, and many of them are so desperate that they’re willing to risk their lives and the lives of their families to escape.” Ny Times Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
