The rescue efforts began on Thursday, after a distress call was received by a Garowe resident whose brother and 90 other Somali migrants said that they were stranded on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea.

“I received a phone call from my brother by satellite phone, explaining that the boat was floating for days and that they had minimal supplies,” said Ahmed Jama a Garowe resident.

Mr. Jama and a group of his friends began desperately contacting Libyan and Italian officials to inform them about the Somali migrants’ distress call.

“We contacted Libyan and Italian naval ships patrolling the Mediterranean Sea. They had asked for their location, so we gave them their last known coordinates,” said Mr. Jama.      

The group also contacted Puntland officials who in turn notified Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole who lobbied Italian and Libyan officials to assist the Somali migrants.

The 90 Somali migrants were reportedly rescued by a Libyan naval ship and brought to Libya, according to Mr. Jama the Somali migrants were in good condition and in the hands of Libyan authorities.

Saturday morning President Farole spoke to BBC Somali, to discuss illegal migration amongst Somalis, and how to curb the current epidemic.

“This terrible problem has been occurring in Somalia for quite some time, our youth who some of whom were working, going to school or universities have been led to believe they can reach Europe but they are unaware of the extreme conditions and dangers they will encounter,” said President Farole.        

Somali migrants traveling through the Sahara desert in hopes of crossing the Mediterranean Sea and reaching Europe has increased, President Farole outlined some of the causes of why thousands of Somalis are risking their lives.

“In the past conflict has caused many Somalis to flee their country, however in the present, I believe a strong majority of these people are misguided and foolishly choose to risk their lives when they can afford to contribute to their society and country,”

“Thousands have perished trying to make it across the Sahara desert and there are criminal enterprises taking advantage of these misguided people. Somali government officials need to pay close attention along with the international community, the Somali diaspora need to work together to help solve this epidemic,” said President Farole.

According to Omar Hussien, who has studied illegal migration among Somalis for the last 10 years, to solve the illegal migration problem you have to address the factors on the ground in Somalia.

“High unemployment among Somalis is an underlying factor, without addressing employment and other factors you cannot remedy the problem,” says Mr. Hussien.

GAROWE ONLINE