 © UNHCR/Oualid Khelifi |
Djibouti has a long history of hosting refugees. The country plays a considerable role in international efforts to restore peace in Somalia and has been party to negotiations towards a political settlement. Djibouti’s location, adjacent to the Gulf of Aden and the Red sea, has seen it increasingly become a transit country for mixed migratory movements towards the Gulf States and Europe. |
News and stories about Djibouti
Walking and collecting, Yemeni keeps hopes alive in exile
A passionate walker and coin collector before war drove him from Yemen, refugee now hikes to find objects for a "curiosity museum."
Almost 100,000 flee Yemen in four months since fighting started
UNHCR seriously concerned as receiving countries struggle to cope in face of funding crisis.
Djibouti : refugees grasp security in their hands with new ID cards
A UNHCR program to issue plastic ID cards to some 10,000 refugees in Djibouti should enhance their protection and rights.
UNHCR launches last phase of Somali repatriation from Djibouti
The UN refugee agency on Tuesday began the final phase of its voluntary repatriation programme to help some 1,800 refugees return home to Somaliland from neighbouring Djibouti by the end of the year.
Danish ship rescues 39 people adrift in Gulf of Aden
A dramatic rescue at sea in which a Danish ship picked up 39 people shipwrecked in the Gulf of Aden has ended in Djibouti, where the weak and traumatised survivors are now getting help. One man died despite the medical care he had received on board.
UNHCR calls for access to three Ethiopian defectors in Djibouti
Assistant High Commissioner Kamel Morjane has urged the Djibouti government for access to three Ethiopian airmen whose fate is unknown after they reportedly defected to Djibouti in early June. There are fears they have already been forcibly returned to Ethiopia.
Feature: Home for Ramadan after a decade in exile
Dekka Hassan Hade and her family today joined the last UNHCR convoy to leave Djibouti for Somaliland before the start of the Islamic holy month next week. They are among this year's 7,400 returnees who are eager to embrace the peace and opportunities back home.
Refugees arrive back in Somalia as agencies seek fresh aid
Refugees are leaving Djibouti's remote camps and going back to Somalia on UNHCR's repatriation convoys. Meanwhile, UN organisations and partner agencies have launched a $111 million appeal for programmes to aid Somalia, including more than $5.7 million for the refugee agency.
Commissions to assess asylum claims in Djibouti, as new deadline nears
As a new deadline looms for illegal immigrants to leave Djibouti, UNHCR will start training government officials to sit on eligibility commissions that will determine who, among the thousands of people who thronged a UNHCR transit centre when the first deadline expired, is entitled to refugee status.
Thousands rush to apply for asylum before Djibouti expels illegal migrants
An estimated 10,000 people have thronged UNHCR's transit centre in Djibouti to apply for asylum before the Djibouti government deports them for being illegal immigrants. The refugee agency is working to sort out genuine asylum seekers from the crowd.