Aden – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced Wednesday the first airlift of Somali refugees from Yemen back to their homeland this year. In a post on X, UNHCR said: “Today, the first voluntary return flight of Somali refugees in 2026 departed Aden airport for Mogadishu.” The flight carried 155 refugees who chose to return under the agency’s voluntary repatriation program. Last year, UNHCR facilitated the return of 957 Somali refugees through both sea voyages to Berbera and flights to Mogadishu. Since the program began in September 2017, more than 9,500 Somali refugees have been assisted in returning home by the end of 2025.