The Somali government has welcomed at least 16 Somali migrants repatriated from Russia in Mogadishu on Saturday.
Russian security forces apprehended the Somali migrants, but Somali authorities did not provide further details about the status of the repatriated migrants.
One of the young men who spoke to the media in Mogadishu thanked the Somali government for facilitating the release of the Somali nationals arrested in prisons in Moscow.
“I am happy that our government has released us from a prison where we have been for 30 days and we have been suffering. I am happy to be back in my country,” said one of the young men.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia stated that it is committed to bringing back to the country citizens imprisoned in different prisons worldwide.
Finland closed its entire 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia last week after accusing Moscow of resuming an effort to funnel migrants into the country to cause destabilization. In November, Estonia’s interior minister also accused Russia of being involved in “a hybrid attack operation” to bring migrants to its border. However, the Russian government refuted the two accusations from its neighbouring countries.
Russia is home to hundreds of Somali students who received scholarships from the Russian government through the Somali federal government. Last week, the Somali Ministry of Education announced on its Facebook page that it has Master’s Degree scholarship opportunities in Medicine and Surgery from the Russian government. The Ministry has requested students to submit their applications by December 25, 2023.
