One hundred and sixty travelers who have been stranded in Somalia because of the government’s decision to cancel all flights to and from the country have been evacuated.
The travelers, who hold dual nationalities, have been stranded in Mogadishu. They hold foreign passports from countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) imposed a lockdown in the country two months ago when COVID-19 hit the country hard.
Since then, it has left the lockdown in place and instituted several other measures designed to contain the spread of the virulent disease.
Without any way of getting out of the country, the 160 travelers, who are originally from Somalia, boarded an Ethiopian Airlines plane destined for Addis Ababa.
They will make a brief stopover at Addis Ababa before proceeding with their respective flights to Toronto, London, and Washington DC.
The Embassy of the United States in Somalia organized the flight though all passengers are expected to pay for their air tickets.