Somalia Repatriates 173 Citizens from Libyan Prisons

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia has repatriated 173 of its citizens who were recently released from prisons in Libya, government officials said on Tuesday.

A flight carrying 151 returnees, mostly young people, landed at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport, where they were received by senior officials including Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi, the Deputy Foreign Minister, and representatives of the National Commission for Refugees and IDPs (NCRI).

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the EU also supported the operation.

Another 22 returnees were flown to Hargeisa, officials said. Several of those who returned expressed relief at leaving the harsh conditions of Libyan detention centers and thanked the Somali government for facilitating their release.