The government of Turkey has repatriated its citizens who have been stranded in Somalia after the East African nation banned all international flights into and out of the country.
Turkey’s Embassy in Somalia released a statement saying that the repatriation was part of the measures put in place by President Recep Erdogan to protect Turkish citizens from COVID-19.
The virulent disease has hit Somalia hard; hence the decision by Turkish government to remove its citizens from the Horn of Africa nation fast.
However, the embassy said the repatriation is temporary and the citizens would be allowed to return to Somalia once the situation improves.
Although the embassy never provided more details on the number of actual Turkish citizens repatriated, sources confirm that they were as many as 101.
The repatriation happened a few days after Turkish Airlines transported 58 Somalis who had been stranded in Turkey back to Somalia.