A Yemeni refugee was injured on Monday after setting himself on fire because aid organizations did “nothing” to help him, witnesses confirmed.
The man’s name which is yet to be identified fled into the breakaway region of Somaliland with his family members and relatives due to the ongoing conflict in his country – Yemen.
Witnesses said the man was staging a protest outside the UNHCR office in Hargeisa, complaining of not getting the necessary aid assistance.
‘’He was frustrated because he felt that the humanitarian organizations isolated and ignored him,’’ said one of the witnesses.
Several locals nearby intervened immediately to subdue the flames, which engulfed his body. The man was hospitalized immediately after the incident and remains in the hospital for treatment.
UNHCR and local officials of the self-declared state of Somaliland were not available to comment on the incident which has left many residents shocked and worried.
Since the conflict erupted in Yemen, more than 300 refugees have arrived in the Puntland and Somaliland regions. In June, Puntland relocated hundreds of Yemeni refugees in a major resettlement program whereby they were transferred from an overcrowded makeshift settlement to apartments.
Horseed Media
Somalia: Yemeni refugee sets himself aflame outside UNHCR Office
Published: October 5, 2015
