Wednesday January 29, 2025
Garowe (HOL) — Puntland authorities deported around a thousand undocumented Ethiopians from Garowe, the regional capital, on Wednesday, as part of an ongoing crackdown on foreigners without legal status.
The deportees were reportedly detained for two days before being transported by trucks to the Somali-Ethiopian border.
Puntland officials have not yet commented on the operation, but sources indicate that the move is linked to security concerns following reports of foreign nationals joining the Islamic State (ISIS) group in the region.
Puntland has been intensifying efforts to remove undocumented migrants, particularly after launching military operations against ISIS strongholds in the Al-Miskaat mountains of Bari region.
The regional administration has also faced increasing public pressure, with demonstrations against Ethiopian and other foreign nationals occurring at airports in Garowe and Bosaso.
Local reports suggest that some of the deported individuals had previously been denied entry into Puntland, while others had established small businesses in the region.
