Somaliland Immigration Authorities launched Security operations to arrests undocument Ethiopian immigrants

Somaliland immigration authorities have commenced on wednesday an operation to arrest undocumented immigrants in Hargeisa, specifically Ethiopians. The authorities have not yet commented about this move but it is widely believed they will send them back to their homeland.

Initial pictures show some of the Somaliland immigration officers asking Ethiopian immigrants on the main streets to produce their documents. Since the beginning of this week, Somaliland has been conducting deportation of hundreds of people mostly from Somalia in lasanod and some parts of Sanaag region.

This country has faced a lot of criticism from both local and regional politicians on deporting people without giving them a notice. Somaliland officials had defended its choice to expel this large scale of undocumented immigrants from their country.

They also underlined that the decision to deport more than a thousand of people was motivated by issues pertaining to security, including appeals from the local communities and authorities in Las Anod district. Intelligence reports and consultations provided clear indication that these individuals were putting the safety of the local population at risk.