IOM resumes voluntary return of migrants from Niger to Gambia
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - After a six-month hiatus due to COVID-19 border closures, Gambia's office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has resumed its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme from Niger to Gambia, with the support of the European Union.
A statement made available to PANA on Friday said 26 Gambian migrants finally returned home on Wednesday after being stranded for months in IOM’s transit centres in Niger.
The statement said that the group returned home on a charter flight from the Niger capital, Niamey.
With Gambia’s airspace still officially closed, this humanitarian corridor was exceptionally approved by the authorities.
“Mobility restrictions related to COVID-19 have stranded hundreds of thousands of migrants around the world," the statement said.
Prior to their departure, in collaboration with the European Union Capacity Building Mission (EUCAP Sahel) and the Centre for Medical and Health Research (CERMES) in Niger, IOM organized COVID-19 testing for migrants hosted at transit centres in Agadez and Niamey.
-0- PANA MSS/MA 26Sept2020
