AO - 4 Somalians request political asylum

From my archive of press clippings:

Amandala Online

4 Somalians request political asylum


Posted: 09/04/2010 - 09:48 AM Author: Adele Ramos - adelescribe@gmail.com


The African nation of Somalia continues to battle what has been termed an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and four nationals, who all tell horror stories of genocidal acts by a rival tribe, have landed in Belize, on a trek that took them to Kenya, Dubai and Brazil by plane, to Columbia by road, to Guatemala by boat and now to Belize.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"It was in Belize that Omar Yussuf, Sadak Hirsi, Abdikafi Hassan and Mohamed Farah, in their late teens and early twenties, were busted on the night of Friday, December 4, 2009, after their cayote left them. Reports to Amandala are that Immigration authorities apprehended them as they appeared to be headed toward the Belize-Mexico border on foot."

"Amandala notes that in a similar case involving two Cubans, Pedro Garcia Carrera and Karelis de Los Angeles Sosa Sanchez, and a Somali, Nur Abdi Shire, who came to Belize in 2009, Supreme Court Justice Michelle Arana had called on the Government to convene the Committee."

&

"There are five Cubans in Belize on special permits by the Immigration Department. If the Somalis are allowed to stay in Belize, they, too, would be granted special permits, said the Immigration source. When immigrants on special permits maintain good standing, they could also regularize their status in Belize."