Over 600 Somali refugees to resettle in the US

Over 600 Somali refugees living in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in southern Uganda are to be resettled in the United States.

A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees official in Uganda, Adan Dis Ilmi was quoted by local media on Wednesday as saying that the US government has decided to resettle more than 600 Somali refugees from 180 families.

He said that these Somali refugees have lived in Nakivale since 1991.

Local media also reported that a team of officials from the Joint Voluntary Agencies (JVA), a Nairobi based organization working on behalf of the US on Saturday completed identifying refugees eligible for resettlement in the US.

Ilmi said that JVA has been to Ethiopia and Kenya to asses the possibility of resettling refugees as a lasting solution to the problem

He noted that JVA will submit its recommendations to the American embassy, which will interview the refugees.

Somalia remains war torn and without an effective government since the 1991 overthrow of President Siad Barre.

Recently, however, there have been efforts by the Inter Governmental Authority on Development, a regional body to restore peace in the lawless Horn of Africa nation.

A transitional government was formed to manage the country though it is still housed in Kenya.