What did the President of Somalia say about the EU visa ban?

What did the President of Somalia say about the EU visa ban?

The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, denied that his government had rejected the reception of Somali citizens being deported from European countries, hours after the European Union approved a visa ban on Somali citizens, describing it as a lack of cooperation on migration.

The President, speaking at a public gathering, stated that Somalia would never reject its citizens, emphasizing that they have the right to return to their country.

"We will never deny our people," he said. This is their country, and we cannot deny that.

However, he argued that the Somali authorities are concerned about the identification of some individuals being returned.

The President stated that many migrants from the Horn of Africa have claimed to be Somali while seeking asylum in Europe, which later led to their deportation and made it difficult to verify their nationality.

"Anyone with our skin color and appearance coming from the Horn of Africa claims to be Somali to obtain political asylum," he said.

He added that some individuals presented as Somali deportees do not speak the Somali language and only identify as Somali upon reaching Libya.

"We have confirmed that some of those individuals are not Somali citizens," he said.

Despite these concerns, the President stated that Somalia is still ready to accommodate all verified Somali citizens, including those whose asylum applications have been unsuccessful.

"We cannot abandon a Somali citizen suffering abroad, and we will not leave them behind," he said, adding that the government is prepared to arrange flights to repatriate Somalis if necessary.

This statement comes after EU member states agreed yesterday, Thursday, to impose a new visa ban on Somali citizens, stating that Somalia has failed to adequately cooperate on the return of its citizens illegally residing in the European Union.