Astray Katyusha fired By Houthi Rebels Kill Six Somalis in Yemen

Fighting gripped Yemen’s second city Aden on Sunday which claimed lives of several Somalis.

Coalition warplanes bombed rebel positions, killing eight people, while rebel rocket fire killed six, including a child, officials said.

The dead from the Katyusha fire were six Somali refugees who had sought shelter in a kindergarten, medics said.

Thousands of Somalis stranded in Yemen which turned into wrestling bitch for internationally recognized drowning government of Yemen and Houthi militias who have taken control of large swaths of Yemen.

Early 1990s many Somalis crossed Gulf Aden waters to escape the civil war which erupted after merged militias run over the government of late Mohamed Siyad Barre.

0ver two decades later, Somalis started returning to their motherland fleeing from the bombardments from Saudi-led coalitions, which killed thousands of civilians indiscriminately only to annihilate Houthi group.

On 27th April this year, 40 of Somali refugees died after Warplanes of the Saudi-led military coalition bombed on two buses carrying Somali refugees in Yemen, in what appeared to be the single deadliest attack on Somali refugees since a Saudi ¬Arabia-led coalition sent warplanes to target Shiite insurgents advancing across the country.

Witness says the dead included women and children who were laying out on a blood-streaked floor.

Mahad Mohamed, one of Somali consulate workers in Yemen has also confirmed the attack on the buses carrying the refugees.

Somalis accused the government of ‘’failing’’ to intervene the situation of the trapped citizens.

Life went from bad to worse for the Somalis living in Yemen after the federal government revealed that it is supporting the on-going Saudi-led military offensive against the Houthi rebels who are fighting to take over internationally recognized government.

Pledges

Somali government promised to dispatch ships and planes for the evacuation of Somalis caught in Yemen’s conflict.

It was on 27th April when Director of the Parliament Mohamed Iyow told Goobjoog that the parliament has approved to send two ships to evacuate Somalis in Yemen.

While other foreign nationals have been evacuated from the impoverished gulf nation, the federal government has not yet moved to evacuate its citizens despite announcing plans to bring back them home.

After the Somali failed to pull its citizens from the war-torn Yemen, Somali business people and regional states such as Puntland State carried out initiatives to help and evacuate their brotherly Somalis trapped in that country.

Puntland government has earlier announced ministerial level committee to work on and closely monitor the increasing violence in Yemen and Somali refugees arriving Puntland in large numbers.

On the other hand, Puntland has also called its people to welcome and host Somali people who are fleeing Yemen in fear for their lives.

Due to the escalating conflict in Yemen, Somali refugees who fled Somalia’s civil war early 1990s have been returning back to Puntland, Especially Bossaso, a port town that lies hours ride from Yemeni’s main towns of San’a and Add’an.

On 25th May this year, Abdi Ali Farah, a well-known Somali businessman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Jubba General Trading Company has pledged to dispatch a cargo ship which intended to ferry Somalis from Yemen.

Speaking to Goobjoog News Farah said that he decided to help brotherly Somalis who were captivated by Yemen violence which cost hundreds of innocent lives.