Somali Regional President confers with delegation of IOM and UNHCR on reintegration of 12,000 IDPs

Addis Ababa, November 29, 2021 (FBC) – President of Somali Regional State, Mustafa Omer has discussed with a delegation of Swiss Development Cooperation, IOM and UNHCR on the planned relocation and reintegration of 12,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) at Qoloji as part of the Durable Solutions Initiative.

Mustafa expressed gratitude to the partners for the timely support to Somali Region at a time of competing emergencies in the country.

Together with a parallel Somali Regional State Government initiative of reintegrating some 15,000 IDPs, the project will go a long way in decongesting the Qoloji IDP camp, Mustafa noted.

In the last three years, the Somali Regional State government relocated and reintegrated around 8,300 individuals from Qoloji to different sites within the region, while an additional 3,600 individuals were returned to their places of origin.

The regional government also returned 4,422 individuals in Dire Dawa Millennium Park to their places of origin and is currently working with the European Union on livelihood programs for the returnees.