from SAAD MUSE in Mogadishu, Somalia
Somalia Bureau
MOGADISHU, (CAJ News) – SOME 161 Somali migrants, stranded in Libya, have been evacuated back home.
This assistance was funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Most of the migrants on board the charter flight were young men and women below the age of 30, including minors, who had been stranded in Libya for several months.
“Today is a wonderful day as we welcome our brothers and sisters home,” said Mariam Yassin, special envoy for Migration, Returns and Children’s Rights.
IOM Somalia Chief of Mission Manuel Marques Pereira, said IOM was committed to the safety and wellbeing of all migrants moving through voluntary humanitarian returns, and the partnership with the Government of Somalia and the EU had already allowed them to assist the Somali migrants stranded in Libya.
“In the coming months, we will assist hundreds more returning from Libya through this partnership,” Pereira said.
Each year, hundreds of Somali migrants embark on irregular journeys along what is known as the Northern Mediterranean Route, passing through multiple countries in hopes of reaching Europe.
According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report published in July, more than 1 500 Somali migrants were stranded in Libya, many were living in dangerous and precarious conditions.
Insecurity and the lack of essentials such as food, shelter and healthcare in Libya expose migrants to many protection risks.
Thousands urgently require protection and humanitarian assistance.
– CAJ News