IOM assisted 490 Ethiopian migrants stranded in Somalia,
predominantly women and children, to return home during the first
week of April. According to Somali authorities, an estimated 11,000
Ethiopians live in the Northern port town of Bosasso, including
some who have been in the country for the past 15 years, and a
large number have asked IOM for assistance in returning to their
country.

"These migrants are living in precarious situations with limited
resources, and security in Bosasso is daunting.  So we are
working to facilitate the return of those asking to return," says
Ahmed Maher, IOM Senior Programme and Operations Officer in
Somalia.

The Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) operation, carried out from
March 31- April 4, was funded by the Tokyo International Conference
on African Development (TICAD) and included pre-departure medical
assessments, transportation, and reintegration packages provided in
cooperation with the IOM office in Addis Ababa. IOM also worked
with the Ethiopian Government to facilitate travel documents for
the returnees. 

Returnees are provided with reception assistance, temporary
accommodation and onward transportation to their areas of origin,
mostly in rural villages in the Somali, Oromia and Amhara Regions
of Ethiopia. IOM also provides adult returnees with a reintegration
grant including additional assistance for those with minor children
(under18 years of age). 

IOM AVR project personnel provide ongoing support to returnees
including counselling on small-scale self-employment schemes and
mobilization of local government support for the sustainable
reintegration of the returnees.

Every year thousands of migrants embark on dangerous journeys
across the Gulf of Aden, from the port of Bosasso heading to the
southern coast of Yemen.  The majority are Ethiopians, but
large numbers of Somalis fleeing the troubled regions in the south
centre area of the country also risk their lives looking for a
better life. 

Many of them suffer abuse and exploitation at the hands of
smugglers, and all of them incur large debts.  By the time
they arrive in Bosasso, they have endured physical hardship and
have spent a lot of their money, so they have little left to lose
and think their only choice is to continue their journey.

"We are so happy to go back home. With the economic situation in
the world, money is very hard to come by.  It is also
difficult to access medical facilities.  Some of us are very
sick and are looking forward to getting medical care at home,"
explained an Ethiopian migrant who signed up for voluntary
return.

For more information please contact:

Maher Ahmad

E-mail: "mailto:mahmadnbo@iom.int">mahmadnbo@iom.int

or

Halim Husham

IOM Nairobi

Tel: +254.20 4.444 167

E-mail: "mailto:hhalimnbo@iom.int">hhalimnbo@iom.int