Banjul – In the evening of 21
January, 24 Gambian migrants stranded in Libya returned home safely through the
International Organisation for Migration (IOM)’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return
Programme.
Among the 24 returnees were
two female minors. They first joined a total of 88 stranded migrants, including
Malians and Guineans, on a charter flight from Tripoli to Bamako, then
proceeded onward to Banjul. In the same evening, five Gambians stranded in
Morocco were also assisted to return home.
The returnees were provided
temporary accommodation, meals and non-food item (NFI) kits containing
essential supplies, such as hygiene material. The following day, they were
issued arrival assistance cards, which they can use for temporary
identification, and underwent a preliminary medical and psychosocial screening.
After taking part in an
orientation session on the process of receiving reintegration assistance, each
of them received “pocket money” in Gambian Dalasi (worth EUR 65) to cover basic
needs.
Over the coming weeks, IOM
will be working closely with government and development partners to ensure the
returnees’ economic, social and psychosocial reintegration. Each will commence
counselling sessions to tailor reintegration assistance to their specific
needs, interests and skills, and based on the available opportunities in the
country.
This assistance may consist
of support to set up or strengthen a small business, support to pursue
education or vocational training, support for job insertion or referrals to
other services, or other forms of support such as housing or psychosocial
counselling. Returnees also have the option to team up for collective or
community-based projects.
“Even though the number of
Gambians stranded in Libya has decreased considerably since 2017, we deem it
crucial to offer assistance to those who wish to return home but do not have
the means to do so, particularly in light of the deteriorating situation in
Libya,” expressed Fumiko Nagano, IOM’s Chief of Mission in The Gambia.
Through the EU-IOM Joint
Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration, IOM has assisted over
5,000 returnees, including over 3,000 from Libya alone. IOM continues to
facilitate voluntary return from other countries, including over 500 returnees
Niger in 2019.
The Joint Initiative is
funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and covers 26
African countries. The project aims to contribute to migration governance and
to support the sustainable reintegration of returning migrants through an
integrated approach, which addresses economic, social, and psychological
dimensions and fosters the inclusion of communities in the process.
