Africa-Press – Gambia. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has facilitated the voluntary return of 193 Gambians, including 148 from Libya and 45 from Niger, said the UN agency’s Banjul office on Friday.
“Among the 193 migrants who returned, there were 184 men, three women and six children,” it said in a statement.
This represents the highest number of Gambian returnees in a single day since the UN migration agency opened a country office in Gambia in July 2017, said the statement, adding that the returnees from Libya included vulnerable migrants who had been subject to exploitation and violence.
Since 2017, over 3,300 Gambians have benefitted from the UN agency’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return program, which offers a dignified and safe return for migrants stranded in Libya.
Irregular migration has been a major problem for Gambia as its citizens, mainly young people, seek better life in Europe. Dozens of lives have since perished on the high seas. Enditem
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