By Horn Africa News
VIENNA – Austria has deported two Somali men to Mogadishu, marking the country’s first repatriation of Somali nationals in almost 20 years, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior confirmed on Tuesday.
The two men, who arrived in Somalia earlier this week, had been convicted of multiple criminal offenses in Austria, including drug-related crimes, according to the ministry. Their deportation comes amid tighter asylum and migration policies under the current government.
Somalis currently make up the third-largest group of asylum seekers in Austria. Between January and July this year, 648 Somalis applied for asylum. Of these, 463 were granted full refugee status, 334 received temporary protection, and 12 were issued humanitarian residence permits. This puts the overall acceptance rate for Somali asylum claims at 44 percent, figures from the Interior Ministry show.
Despite the deportations, international observers continue to rank Somalia among the most unstable countries in Africa. The nation remains gripped by decades of conflict, with Al-Shabaab insurgents escalating attacks in 2025, including a deadly March assault targeting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud that claimed numerous lives.
Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner defended the move as part of a “consistent, fair, and strict asylum policy.” He noted that Austria had also recently deported a Syrian national, while discussions are underway on the return of Afghan nationals. Karner recently met with his German counterpart, Alexander Dobrindt, to coordinate future joint efforts on deportations across Europe.
The deportations are likely to stir debate among human rights groups, who argue that returning individuals to conflict zones like Somalia and Syria violates international protection norms. However, Austrian officials insist that the decision reflects a balance between upholding asylum obligations and addressing public security concerns.
