By Mabinty M. Kamara
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it has halted a planned repatriation of Sierra Leoneans stranded in Niger on the request of the government which is concerned by security issues.
Plans to repatriate the stranded Sierra Leoneans had been on the work for sometime now. IOM said it was waiting on the approval of the government, which was given last week.
But ahead of the planned repatriation on Friday, September 4, the government ordered that the process be carried out with thorough security checks before they are brought into the country.
The total of 200 people who claim to be Sierra Leoneans are part of nationals from 22 countries across Africa who were thrown out of Algeria and Libya, after they failed to make it through the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in search of greener pastures.
According to reports from both the IOM and the stranded Sierra Leoneans, they have been stranded in the desert region for over six months, waiting to be repatriated, as many other countries repatriated their citizens.
The leader of the stranded Sierra Leoneans, Albert Conteh, in a June report by Politico said they were living in appalling conditions, despite the support they received from the IOM. Chief among their concerns at the time were food and shelter.
Mangeh Sesay, National Project Officer, IOM, last week told Politico that the security checks should be done by the immigration department and the Office of the National Security (ONS). He said as IOM, they were now going to engage and see how best they could fast track the verification process and the subsequent repatriation of the Sierra Leoneans.
“The government has made its position clear that these guys can come but that we need to verify their nationalities, and this verification must be done by the immigration and the ONS. But the speed of the process depends on the IOM now, because the government has given its position and it’s clear and we respect their position. So we just need to act fast and see how we can move into action now,” Sesay said.
Illegal migration is major problem for Africa, and the problem has increased in Sierra Leone over the last decade. Youths, frustrated by unemployment, take through illegal means to reach Europe. Some succeed, but many others end up stranded in North African countries where they face a whole lot of difficulties.
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