Libya - IOM yesterday (19/05) facilitated the return of 171 Senegalese migrants, including one medical case to Senegal. Of the group, 161 had spent several months in detention centres. This repatriation – done in close cooperation with Libyan authorities, Senegal’s Embassy in Tripoli, the IOM office in Senegal and IOM office in Algeria – was carried out by a charter flight, which departed from Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport and arrived in Dakar, Senegal yesterday evening.

This latest repatriation was instigated after the IOM organised visit by eight West African embassies in Libya to Abu-Saleem and Al-Gweea immigration detention centres on 2-3 May (previously reported here).

Before departure, IOM Libya staff provided clothes, shoes and hygiene kits. A mobile patrol from the Tripoli Security Committee escorted the buses to Mitiga airport.

The circumstances of this group were similar to the other migrants who were previously repatriated by IOM. Almost all the migrants traveling on this charter were detained as they were trying to travel to Europe. One hundred fifty three of them were detained in Abu Saleem detention centre, eight in Al-Gweea detention centre and 10 were residing irregularly in urban locations. The average age of the migrants was 25 years old.

Soumaila, a young migrant told the IOM: “I spent more than one month in an extremely difficult journey that cost me Euro 2,450 from Senegal to Libya via Mali and Algeria. During my stay in Tripoli I worked in several jobs to support myself and earn some money that would allow me to cross the Mediterranean. However, I was arrested by the police, lost my savings and was imprisoned for two months until IOM’s help arrived.”

Despite their journey of hope ending in detention centres, these migrants consider themselves lucky to have escaped death trying to cross the Mediterranean, which this year has taken the lives of 978 migrants and refugees on the route linking Libya to Italy.

Upon return in Senegal, all migrants were supported with an onward transportation grant to facilitate their transportation to their final destinations.

The fund for this charter was provided by the Swiss Secretariat of Migration, under the project Provision of Humanitarian Repatriation and Reintegration for Stranded Migrants in Libya.

For further information, please contact Othman Belbeisi at IOM Libya, Tel: +216 29 600389, Email: obelbeisi@iom.int, or Ashraf Hassan, Tel: +216 29 794707, Email:  ashassan@iom.int