Yemeni refugees find hope—and home—in Somaliland

The story about the Yemeni refugees in Somaliland showcases the larger problems facing refugees, and how they can thrive if they are given the space and chance to improve their lives away from home.

Because of the geographical contiguity and historical trade with Somaliland, many Yemenis have integrated quickly and found hope and a home in the self-declared state in northern Somalia.

One of them is Abu Abdula Al Haj, the spokesperson for the Yemeni community in the port city of Berbera. Haji, who used to work as a newspaper editor, says that he likes living in Berbera. The city, he said, offers Yemenis an opportunity to reinvent themselves. Yemenis here work in the fishing industry, interior decoration and manage restaurants.

“People are welcoming here,” Haji says. Together with Somali and Yemeni businessmen, Haji exports medicine to Yemen, a rare commodity since the war intensified. 

Tofik Mohamed fled from Dhamar in southwest Yemen a year ago. Mohamed works at the Al-Yemen Al-Saeed restaurant in Berbera. Aside from the language barrier, he says he has found it easier to assimilate and adapt to the local customs and habits. When he’s not working, he spends his free time chewing khat, learning Somali and going to the beach.

The locals in Berbera seem content with the sudden influx of Yemenis to their small town. After the civil war in Somalia began in 1991, tens of thousands of Somalis left this same northern coast on dhows and skiffs to seek refuge in Yemen. “We are the same,” is the repeated response from many Somalis, especially those who work with Yemenis.

However, some Yemenis I spoke with said that they have been harassed on the streets, and that Somali businessmen have approached the landlords of their business premises offering them more money for rent. Hannah Saeed, a Yemeni whose mother is Somali, recalls being told by locals, “You are Yemeni? Go back.”

In Hargeisa, all is not rosy for Nada Gamal and her family too. After evacuating their apartment in Aden, the family spent the first two years in Somaliland living in a simple nomadic hut. The former English teacher first worked as a cleaner before landing a gig doing English and Arabic translations.

Despite the hardships, Gamal says she is grateful to be in Somaliland. “Of course I like it,” she says, adding that the Somalis are becoming more accepting. “We can live with them peacefully.”