{jcomments on}By: Osman A.M.
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The Minister for Resettlement Rehabilitation & Re-integration Hon. Ahmed Abdi Kahin has hinted that plans are in offing for the Government to consider and facilitate a request of returning Somaliland citizens who have not yet acquired British citizenship albeit residing in the United Kingdom (U.K.) for sometimes.
Hon. Kahin while addressing journalists during a press conference he had called at VIP lounge of Egal airport shortly before his departure to London clarified that ‘Stateless Persons’ originally from Somaliland who have not acquired British citizenship status would be relocated home on their own volition without employing duress or persuasive actions from the Government of UK since they had opted to be resettled home.
In dispatching further elaborations on the impending resettlement scheme for Somaliland citizens deemed stateless persons upon residing in the UK for years, the Minister said;
“Prior to reception of invitation from the UK Government we were briefed on the status & plight of our people who on their own volition considered that it is in their best interest to return home after years of not acquiring British citizenship. We shall engage our host in coming with formidable modalities in overseeing the accomplishment of the scheme by jointly crafting administrative, policy & legal frameworks that would consider their paramount interest first before anything else in availing gainful employment for their smooth re-integration to the society as opposed to haphazardly dumping them here in furtherance to our escalated problems”
The RRR Minister in refuting alleged engagement of criminal actions warranting the return of the affected people in the resettlement exercise noted;
“It is not in the Government’s policies to return these people because economically we cannot sustain them but the truth of the matter are that the groups have languished in UK for years with no passports issued & have initially contacted us to engage the UK Government on how the program can be implemented with paramount consideration of their utmost interest”.
The minister also ruled out that there are no bilateral agreements that his Government would sign with the hosting nation pertaining to the scheme at this stage.
