Cairo, 28 November 2019 – Today, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Egypt assisted 133 Sudanese migrants – 85 males and 48 females, including 95 adults and 38 children – to return to their country of origin through its assisted voluntary return and reintegration programming.

IOM collaborated closely with the Embassy of Sudan in Egypt and with local authorities in Sudan to arrange a charter flight under the European Union (EU) funded EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in North Africa (EU-IOM Joint Initiative).

In the days preceding departure, IOM assisted the individuals to prepare for their return home and provided the migrants with predeparture assistance including the provision of medical assistance and core relief items. They attended orientation sessions and were provided with travel allowance and information about the available assistance to support with their reintegration upon return to their country of origin.

Upon arrival the applicants were met by the operations and medical team of IOM Sudan, quickly making sure that the returnees with special needs were met too especially those with medical issues. Also met with the families of the returnees waiting to greet those returning home after their long foray. Also arranging for those who lived away from the capital special arrangements were made with onward transportation via land and air, with bus and plane tickets.

“I cannot describe my feelings. I am like a newborn baby. I miss Sudan and its soil,” Mr. Al-Rasheed Hasan Ibrahim told IOM staff two days before the trip. “Once I return to my home country, I am planning to open a small shop to sell gas bottles together with my two daughters.”  

“This durable solution offered to vulnerable Sudanese would not be possible without the coordination of partners including the Embassy of Sudan, the various departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior of Egypt. I am personally pleased to see we can assist so many people in such a humane way,” explained Laurent De Boeck IOM Chief of Mission in Egypt.

Launched in December 2016 with funding from the EU Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa, the EU-IOM Joint Initiative on Migrant Protection and Reintegration is an innovative and comprehensive programme facilitating orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration governance through the implementation of policies focused on migrant protection and sustainable reintegration. The EU-IOM Joint Initiative is divided into three regional components, in the Sahel and Lake Chad region, in the Horn of Africa region, and in North Africa.

In North Africa, the Joint Initiative is providing stranded and vulnerable migrants in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia with protection services and offering them the possibility to return voluntarily to their countries of origin and restart their lives in their countries through an inclusive reintegration approach.

For further information, please contact Omar Awwad at IOM Egypt, Tel: +20 1032 049 144 Email: oawwad@iom.int