HARGEISA (SD) -The Somaliland National Displacement and Refugee Agency (NDRA), with the support of the Joint Initiative of the European Union (EU)- International Organization for Migration (IOM), provided cash grants of nearly $120,000 to 24 Somali youth who returned from Libya.

The Chairman of NDRA, Abdikarim Mohamed Hinnif, along with officials from IOM held a ceremony today for the returnees from Libya and Sudan to accept their cash grants of $2,000 per person.

During the ceremony, NDRA and IOM expressed their commitment in assisting the returnees with job opportunities and fitting back into the community.

Abdikarim Hinif, commended the youth to take part in the campaign against the menace of migration and to warn the younger Somali generations of its dangers as they have already experienced.

“For the youth who are still interested in migration, you are the ones who can convince them not to, more than the government can. We acknowledge that the cash grants provided to you today do not cover all your essential needs, but it is a foundation for business generation. I advise you all to use these grants to kick off businesses and not use it for unnecessary matters,” said Hinif.

The Somaliland embassy in Ethiopia, with the support of IOM, is continuously playing a crucial role in repatriating youth from Somaliland who mostly pass-through Ethiopia, Sudan, and Libya when heading to European countries.

However, many reports confirm there has been a decline in migration to Libya, because of the increasing instability and insecurity in that country.