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Among thosewho benefitted from the AVR assistance werepeoplewho had left Mali hoping toreachto Europe but ended up stranded in Chad, andothers whoselivelihoodshave been pushed intosocioeconomic precarityas a resultofCOVID-19.
Chadis an importanthubfor African migrationattracting hundreds of thousands ofpeoplefromacross the continent.In the Northparticularly,thousands of migrantstraveltowork in artisanal goldminesorcross the borders, either into Libya with the hope of going toEurope,or to return fromLibyato escapetraumatic experiences.
A recent report by IOM shows that, between August 2019 and September 2020,over9,700migrantscrossingto Libya from Chad wereobservedatFlow Monitoring Points(FMPs)intheNorth. During the same period,some11,700 otherswereobservedgoing from Libya into Chad.
“Thesemigration journeyscan be veryriskyas theroutes are not always safeand migrantsare vulnerable to abuse, including labour and sexual exploitation,”says Jean-Claude Bashirahishize, Programme Manager for Migrant Assistance and Protection with IOM Chad.
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SékouCoulibaly, a 22-years old Malian, never thoughthis journey wouldtakehim to Chad.
“I was a mine worker back home in one of the artisanal gold mines in the Kangaba Circle [Southwestern Mali]. One day, a big company came and took over our mine, so we had to moveout”, Sekou remembers.
Faced with a dwindling income and limited prospects, Sekou decidedto sell his equipment and leave Maliin the hope of reachingEurope.
“I have friends who haddonethe journey and told me how to go about it. I travelled from Mali to Niger to Algeria and finally reached Libya,”herecounts.
“In Libya, I paid 300 euros to a coxeur[smuggler]who got me on an inflatable boat. But the boat got puncturedat sea andthe coastguard brought us back. I escaped toBenghazi where I worked for a couple of months to earna bit ofmoney.Then I travelled totoKufra, then toFaya [Northern Chad]and finally N’Djamena by road.By the timeI reachedN’Djamena, I had nothing left.”
Sekou was referred to IOM for assistance by the Embassy of Mali in Chad. IOMhas been workingclosely with the Chadian GovernmentandDiplomatic Missions in Chadsince 2019to develop a referral mechanism through which vulnerable migrants can be promptly referred to appropriate protection mechanisms.
“IOM’sMigrant Protection and Assistance activities, including assisted voluntary return,ensure that stranded and vulnerable migrants have access to safe and dignified ways toreturn home, should they wish to, andreunite with their families”, Mr. Bashirahishize continues.
The charter flight was made possible through the Regional Development and Protection Programme in North Africa (RDPP-NA) , a flagship programme implemented in North Africa to enhance the protection of vulnerable migrants, and provide immediate as well as direct assistance such as voluntary return and reintegration.
Since its launch in 2019, theprogramme has helpedmore than300migrants stranded in Chad safely return home to over ninecountries includingBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
Upon their return, eligible migrants can receive reintegration assistance which can include psychosocial counselling, skills training, referral, or in-kind assistance to set-up individual, collective or community-based socio-economic projects.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Media files
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International Organization for Migration (IOM)