Dozens of Somali migrants from Libya were repatriated to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia on Wednesday.
A plane carrying 151 migrants repatriated from Libya landed at Mogadishu airport shortly after nine in the morning.
Somalia’s ambassador to EU Ali Said Fiqi, who was directed to facilitate the issues of the migrants, escorted the returnees to Mogadishu.
Senior government officials including minister for constitutional affairs Abdirahman Hoosh Jibril and members of federal parliament received the migrants at the airport.
Some of the Somali migrants released from Libyan jails said they are happy to come back to their home country and showed appreciation to the federal government for their safe return.
“ I cannot help expressing my pleasure since we came back to our country that we longed for, I thank the federal government of Somalia for its role to help us come back safely tour homeland” one of the returnees said.
Speaking to the media, Somalia ambassador to Somalia, Ali said Faqi stated that repatriated migrants were rescued from different areas adding that the federal government has made efforts save these youths.
“After making efforts for 15 days, finally we have succeeded to register 300 Somali youths willing to go out of Libyan jails and go back to their country voluntarily. We have now managed to uplift 151 youth from Libya. They are now happy” Said Fiqi.
The migrants decided to voluntarily return to the country while dozen others are still in Libyan jails.
Early this year, the federal government of Somalia has repatriated over 20 migrants who were held captives by militias in different parts of Libya.
Since 2014, Libya has become a major transit point for migrants from Africa and the Middle East who are trying to get to Europe to flee instability and violence.
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