Excerpt from report by independent Somaliland newspaper Waaheen on 7 October
A plane from Saudi Arabia which was carrying Somalis who had been deported from that country is said to have been denied clearance to land at Hargeysa airport.
The plane is said to have tried to land at Mogadishu airport but aborted after being informed that Mogadishu airport was insecure. It then proceeded to Hargeysa to offload its human cargo. However, airport officials declined to have it land there forcing it to fly back to Saudi Arabia.
Reports say the plane was carrying Somalis who had been deported from Saudi Arabia and was told about the insecurity at the airport after it was established that it was carrying the Somali deportees.
Somali migrants in Saudi Arabia are usually deported back to the country soon after they are arrested by Saudi police.
Reports say Jeddah prisons are bursting at the seams with illegal Somali migrants who cannot be deported back to the country.
This comes at a time when thousands of migrant Somalis are flocking to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They risk their lives by travelling by sea to Yemen. Hundreds die every year [passage omitted].
Originally published by Waaheen newspaper in Somali 7 Oct 08.
(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Africa. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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