By Maher Ahmed - Reporter
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GAROWE, 11 November 2026 Puntland Vice President Ilyas Osman Lugator met with the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday to discuss lasting solutions for refugees and displaced people in the region, the Puntland presidency said.
Lugator received a delegation led by UNHCR Deputy Representative for Somalia Jing Song, the presidency said in a statement.
He stressed the importance Puntland attaches to cooperation with international agencies, particularly UNHCR, in finding durable solutions for refugees and displaced people, the statement said.
The meeting also covered the flow of people arriving in Puntland, registration procedures, protection of refugees' rights and care for people in need of humanitarian assistance. The statement did not mention any agreement.
Puntland hosts 10,781 refugees and asylum seekers, a third of Somalia's total of 32,966, according to UNHCR figures as of the end of June 2026. Most of them, 9,816, are Ethiopian, while 946 are Yemeni. The port city of Bosaso hosts the largest number, 6,508, followed by Garowe, Galkayo and Qardho.
Puntland, particularly Bosaso, has long been a major transit point for Ethiopian migrants heading to Yemen and the Gulf states.