IOM and the Tanzanian government are this week launching an
initiative to assist irregular migrants stranded in the country.

The launch on 10 February will be attended by the Japanese
Ambassador to Tanzania, Hiroshi Nakagawa, the Permanent Secretary
of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mbarak Abduwakil, Regional
Commissioner, Said Said Kalembo and IOM Chief of Mission in
Tanzania, Pär Liljert.

The programme, funded by the Japanese government, seeks to
address some of the consequences of the increasingly large numbers
of irregular migrants travelling through Tanzania from the Horn of
Africa to South Africa and beyond. Many of the migrants become
stranded en route and there is a growing need to provide emergency
assistance to them including temporary shelter and medical care, as
well as repatriation services for voluntary returnees.

IOM has already assisted more than 1,400 Ethiopian stranded
migrants with voluntarily return and reintegration services since
2009, also with Japanese funding.

The programme will also provide training to relevant border
authorities so they can provide appropriate assistance and referral
services to stranded migrants.

In addition, regional immigration offices in Tanga and Arusha
have been constructed and refurbished in order to host 150
irregular migrants with special rooms dedicated for women and
children. The lack of adequate facilities to host irregular
migrants intercepted on Tanzanian territory has proved to be a
major challenge for the authorities.

Most of the irregular migrants are detected along
Tanzania’s land and sea border areas. According to the 2009
IOM study “In Pursuit of the Southern Dream”, between
17,000-20,000 irregular migrants, mostly male and primarily from
the Horn of Africa, are smuggled every year through Tanzania en
route to South Africa and beyond. However, many never reach their
final destination.

For further information, please contact:

Monika Peruffo

IOM Tanzania

Tel: +255.22.2602913

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