IOM, the UN Migration Agency, helped 80 stranded Ethiopian migrants return to their country.
The Ethiopians – all of them young men, including 26 minors – had been held in three prisons located in two different regions of Tanzania. They asked IOM for support to go back home. With this latest round of returns, from Tanzania alone, IOM has now assisted 404 Ethiopian migrants since 2016 through the IOM Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) project.
Prior to their departure by air from Dar es Salaam, IOM provided each migrant with new clothing and shoes and a fit-to-travel medical examination. Upon arrival in Addis Ababa, the returnees were received by IOM staff before travelling onward to their home villages with IOM’s assistance. They will also be given a reintegration package that can include vocational training, starting small businesses or re-enrolling in school, etc. These reintegration support packages will be provided in partnership with the various agencies within the Government of Ethiopia.
Many Ethiopian migrants leave their homes in search of a better life in South Africa. They pay smugglers for a journey which takes them to Kenya, then – often on boats – to Tanzania, and finally on to South Africa. However, in many cases, they are intercepted in Tanzania and prosecuted for unlawful presence in the country. Following the hearings, they are held in detention, for long periods of time.
“As this project closes, we realize the need for continued support for migrants from Ethiopia and elsewhere, who are stranded and in urgent need of assistance. We’re grateful to our donor, the European Union, for this important initiative, which has provided a new beginning for so many of them. At the same time, we must continue to support the Government and strengthen its capacity to stop networks of smugglers who shamelessly exploit people in distress,” Dr. Qasim Sufi, IOM Tanzania Chief of Mission.
Original source: IOM.
Posted on 13 July. 2017.
