San’a (Sunatimes) The Somali government has called on Somali refugees in Yemen to return home to escape heightening political tension in Yemen which has seen many opposition supporters targeted Somalis in the country.

Acting Somali ambassador to Yemen Mukhtar Mohamed Hassan appealed to his fellow compatriots in Yemen to go back home as the country they sought refuge appears to be more dangerous than Somalia, adding that the embassy will help those willing to return to their country.

He said the Somali government is concern the recent rounding up of Somali refugees in the capital and other gross human rights violations against its citizens in Yemen.

He noted the government commitment and readiness to evacuate all its nationals from politically edging Yemen.

He said there are high hopes of stability in Somalia, claiming that the current situation in the country is far better than when these refugees fled the country.

Somali consul in Yemen Hussein Hajji Ahmed also urged the Somali refugees in the country to keep away from potentially dangerous areas in the capital Sanaa, where pro-government and anti-government demonstrators battle each other.

Earlier, local refugee rights groups in Yemen have urged Somalis to leave the country for their own security concern as they were targeted by both warring parties in Yemen.

The government’s appeal comes days after Yemen’s opposition groups in the capital, Sanaa, have rounded up over forty Somali refugees for allegedly fighting besides the supporters of embattled Yemeni president Ali Abdalla Saleh.

Two Somali men were also killed and their bodies dumped in parts of the city. Locals say the two were killed in relatively calm area of Sanaa.

It is not yet clear whether their death has any link with the accusation against the Somali people in the country who were accused of being snipers and mercenaries hired by Mr. Saleh.

Both Yemeni government and rebels have been accusing the Somalis for taking sides in the country’s political deadlock, accusations denied by both refugee right groups in Yemen and the Somali refugees.

Yemen is home to about 200,000 refugees, almost all of them Somali.

By Jacfar Kuukaay