Saturday February 1, 2025
Garowe (HOL) – Puntland’s Minister of Interior, Abdi Farah Said Juha, clarified on Saturday that the regional state’s ongoing deportation of undocumented foreigners, including Ethiopian nationals, is not specifically targeting the Oromo ethnic group.
Speaking in Garowe, Minister Juha emphasized that the operation applies to anyone residing in Puntland without legal documentation and rejected accusations of ethnic discrimination.
“We regret the news spread by Ethiopian media, which falsely reported that Ethiopians were killed in the cities of Bosaso and Garowe. I categorically deny that any Ethiopians were killed in Puntland,” said Juha.
Puntland authorities deported on Wednesday around 1,000 undocumented Ethiopian nationals from Garowe as part of the crackdown on foreigners without legal status. The deportees were detained for two days before being transported by trucks to the Somali-Ethiopian border.
Sources indicate that the mass deportation is linked to security concerns, particularly reports suggesting that some foreign nationals have joined the Islamic State (ISIS) group operating in the region.
Puntland has intensified its deportation and security operations after launching a military offensive against ISIS strongholds in the Al-Miskaat mountains of the Bari region. Officials argue that removing undocumented migrants is essential to preventing potential infiltration by militant groups.
