2,000 Migrants Drown in 2020 despite COVID-19 Travel Ban, 22,000 Lives Lost since 2014

Despite the extensive mobility restrictions imposed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 2,000 people lost their lives at sea attempting to reach Europe in 2020. A new report from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)’s Missing Migrants Project points out that another 300 deaths already have been documented thus far in 2021. Director of IOM’s Global […]

134 Migrants Rescued, 39 Drown in Another Tragic Shipwreck

One hundred thirty-four survivors, most of them from Côte d’Ivoire, have been rescued from another migrants’ shipwreck that claimed the lives of at least, 39 people. The survivors were brought to shore by Tunisia’s coast guard. While rescue operations are still ongoing, hampered yesterday by harsh weather conditions, the 39 people drowned in a shipwreck […]

70 Migrants Drown Within 5 Months, IOM Says

No less than 70 migrants have lost their lives in the last five months with the latest incident of Wednesday claiming 20 lives. Two similar incidents in October claimed the lives of at least 50 migrants. Twenty people have drowned after smugglers threw dozens of migrants overboard early Wednesday morning during their journey from Djibouti […]

30,000 Migrants Flood Niger’s Border Community

Since late 2017, over 30,000 migrants have arrived in Assamaka from Algeria, mostly from West African countries of origins. Assamaka is situated in the heart of the Sahara at Kilometer 15 from Niger’s border with Algeria. The town is a major migratory hub, as the main point of entry for migrants returning from Algeria, and the last […]

IOM: We’re Committed to Assisting Migrants Stuck in Dire Situations

The United Nations migration agency, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says it still remains committed to assisting migrants stuck in dire situations throughout Lebanon. ‘’In order to meet the rising demand for voluntary return assistance, we require greater solidarity from international donors”, says IOM Lebanon Head of Office, Fawzi Al-Zioud. Adding, he says, “We also […]

IOM’s Team Rescues 83 Migrants in Distress

The Search and Rescue (SAR) team of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) operating in Niger’s northern Agadez region has rescued 83 migrants in distress. The United Nations migration agency is working in collaboration with the General Directorate for Civil Protection (DGPC) in Niger, with support from the European Union. The rescue took place in a […]

Migration Agency, Chamber of Commerce Release Measures To Protect Migrants

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have released employer guidance for measures to protect migrants during COVID-19.Migrant workers are a crucial part of the global workforce, accounting for 3.5% of the world’s population, according to IOM. Worldwide, micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) rely upon migrant workers, including sectors […]

Somalia: Envoy, 11 Other Stranded Migrants Return Home 6 Months After

Somalia’s Ambassador to West Africa and Special Envoy to Iran, Muhammed Hussein Abukar, is among 11 other Somali nationals who safely returned to their country after nearly six months of being stranded in the Islamic Republic of Iran due to COVID-19 global movement restrictions. Their return was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in […]

Four Weeks after Escaping Death, 11 Young Migrants Say, It’s a Miracle They Survived

A month after escaping death, 11 young migrants have now agreed that it’s a miracle they survived.  Since being rescued, the magnitude of their life-threatening experience and the dangerous journey is just now dawning.  It was a tragedy that shook the African continent when remains of 64 migrants from Ethiopia were found locked in a […]

COVID-19 Crisis: As Nigeria Records 1728 Positive Cases, 51 Deaths, Returned Migrants are Flooding Ethiopia

With 196 new positive cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, Nigeria now has a total of 1728 COVID-19 patients.  The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says out of the 196 new confirmed cases, Lagos remains the epicentre of the disease with 87 newly infected persons, followed by kano with 24 cases.  Others are Gombe 16, […]