Somali migrants in Yemen live in crushing poverty, trapped in a country they hoped was merely a transit point. Thousands reside in Aden’s “Little Mogadishu,” surrounded by rubbish and dirt roads, struggling daily for food and work. Many now desperately long to return to Somalia, preferring familiar hardship over the hopeless limbo they endure in war-ravaged Yemen.
Life in Limbo: “Little Mogadishu”
The district known informally as “Little Mogadishu” is a stark collection of makeshift shelters lacking basic services. Initially, Somali migrants arrive here hoping to quickly cross into Saudi Arabia or other Gulf states for work. However, tightened border security and Yemen’s complex war have shattered that dream, leaving them stranded indefinitely.
The Daily Struggle for Survival
Each day, men fan out across Aden searching for any odd job. They line roads, offering labor for a few dollars, or scavenge through rubbish heaps for salvageable food. “Some days we eat, some days it’s up to God. That’s life,” says Abdullah Omar, a 29-year-old Somali father of four. He paid traffickers $500 to bring his family to Yemen over a year ago, seeking escape from Somalia’s instability. Instead, he found only deeper misery, washing cars for meager, unreliable pay.
Why Yemen is a Dead End, Not a Destination
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest nation, is ill-equipped to support migrants. The country suffers from mass unemployment, food insecurity, and a collapsed economy after a decade of civil war. Consequently, opportunities for both Yemenis and migrants are virtually nonexistent.
A War-Torn Economy
The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands, destroyed infrastructure, and partitioned the country. This devastation has triggered a severe economic crisis. Currency depreciation, halted oil exports, and dwindling international aid have plunged millions into humanitarian need. For Somali migrants, this means the construction or domestic work they sought has evaporated. The reality is a stark “no work, no money” existence, with children unable to attend school.
Rising Arrivals Amidst the Crisis
Paradoxically, migrant arrivals are increasing. The UN reported roughly 17,000 Africans, mostly from Somalia and Djibouti, arrived in Yemen in October alone—a 99% monthly increase. Somalis constitute about 63% of Yemen’s 61,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. They now compete with over 19.5 million needy Yemenis, including 4.8 million internally displaced, for scarce resources and nonexistent jobs.
The Longing for Home: Repatriation Dreams
Faced with hopelessness in Yemen, many Somali migrants now view returning home as their best option. A UNHCR survey found 56% of repatriated Somalis cited a “lack of income opportunities” in Yemen as their primary reason for leaving.
The UN’s Voluntary Return Program
The UNHCR voluntary return program offers a lifeline. It provides free flights and cash assistance to help migrants restart their lives in Somalia. The program has repatriated over 500 Somalis this year, with plans for more flights. For migrants like Abdullah Omar, enrolling in this program was the only logical choice. “Here I have nothing,” he explains, highlighting the lack of work, money, and schooling.
Weighing Somalia’s Relative Stability
Despite Somalia’s own challenges with Al-Shabab insurgency and fragility, parts like Mogadishu have seen relative peace and a construction boom. This emerging stability appears more attractive than certain despair in Yemen. Ahmed Abu Bakr Marzouk, a 58-year-old contractor who lived in Yemen for 25 years, is among those returning. He prospered before the war but has had no work for years. “If peace returns, I’ll come back,” he says of Yemen. “If not, I won’t.”
Between Two Hardships
Ultimately, Somali migrants in Yemen are caught between two crises. They flee one fragile nation only to become trapped in another devastated by war. Their yearning for refugee repatriation is a powerful testament to Yemen’s unbearable conditions. While Somalia is not without peril, the chance to rebuild on familiar ground, especially with UN support, offers a fragile hope that stagnant survival in Aden cannot. Their plight underscores a urgent need for sustained international support for both stable repatriation and addressing the root causes of regional displacement.
