In view of deteriorating situation in once-stable Yemen, Somali government has announced that it’s preparing to evacuate its stranded citizens from the conflict-hit country.

Somalia’s minister of Interior Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein told local media on Friday that the government is aware of the trapped Somali citizens in Yemen and will soon start to evacuate them.

‘’The security situation in Yemen has deteriorated and warranted immediate action to repatriate all Somali nationals awaiting evacuation… we are aware of their situation,” said the Interior Minister.

Mr Hussein did not reveal when the evacuation process will start.

For two decades, Somalis fleeing their failed state found in Yemen a safe haven, a place to work, and a gateway to wealthier gulf states. The number of Somalis living in Yemen is thought to be around 500,000.

The tense political situation in Yemen escalated after the Yemeni President and Prime Minister resigned on January 22 and rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi took over as the new leader of the country.

Yemen has long been a major transit route for migrants and asylum-seekers from the Horn of Africa to the Middle East and beyond.

Horseed Media