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The International Organization for Migration (IOM) facilitated the voluntary return of 83 migrants whose boat has grounded on the banks of Ebodje (Cameroon)

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Monday 16 September 2019 - 83 of the migrants who were shipwrecked a few weeks ago on the shores of Cameroon off Ebodje, a village located about 100 kilometres from Kribi, were able to return home. Thanks to the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Cameroonian, Burkinabe and Togolese authorities and the funding of the European Union. They departed, on a voluntary basis, to their respective countries on a flight from Air Burkina, chartered for the occasion, on Thursday, September 12, 2019.

As a reminder, 117 Togolese, Burkinabe and Ghanaian migrants were stranded on the night of 29-30 July 2019 off Ebodje, in a boat from Benin to Gabon. After many adventures on the high seas, they found themselves in Cameroon where they were rescued and then taken care of by the populations, authorities and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "Since 29 July 2019, we have been questioned by the administrative authorities of Campo, the Deputy Prefect and his staff, about the fact that a boat carrying several African nationals ran aground on the banks of Ebodje.

Immediately measures were taken to save lives. But as time went by, more questions were raised, as migrants wondered if they had been abandoned. So, we alerted our hierarchy." explains Franck Derlin Eyono Ebanga, 1st Deputy Prefect of Kribi.

Informed of the situation, the authorities of the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Cameroon, together with the Burkinabe and Togolese consulates, requested IOM's support for the care of migrants. "An IOM delegation, consisting of the Protection Officer, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and myself, conducted an assessment visit to the field to get a better understanding of the needs of migrants. We found that they were well cared for by the local populations and authorities even if the food was not varied and they slept on the ground in a school. We also noted great moral distress among them." explains Jan Bonhote, Program Support Officer at IOM Cameroon. "We then, thanks to funding from the European Union, prepared and administered the care, which consisted of travelling to Kribi, settling in suitable hotel facilities, catering and various medical visits." he continues.

Migrant care was quickly transformed into joint action with the travel to Cameroon of representatives from IOM's Burkina Faso and Togo operations department. "This is an unusual situation for us in Burkina Faso. At the request of my head of mission, I came here to support the voluntary return of my brothers to our country. As the latter is a transit point for migrants going to Europe, we are rather accustomed to carrying out the voluntary departure of foreign migrants from Burkina Faso to their country. I must commend the perfect coordination of activities between our various offices in Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Togo. Upon our arrival, we noticed that Cameroonian colleagues were doing a remarkable job in caring for migrants. They do not hesitate to testify to this." said Mohamed Chérif Traoré, Operations Assistant at IOM Burkina Faso.

Having personally travelled to Kribi and Douala to attend the departure of the migrants, the IOM Head of Mission in Cameroon, Dr. Boubacar Seybou, gave them an advice: "You were lucky to get out of this situation alive. It is up to you to use this opportunity to rebuild yourself. It is better to avoid taking certain risks and make the ultimate sacrifice to succeed in life. The International Organization for Migration does not oppose travel. People have every right to travel around the world. But IOM is working to ensure that these movements are carried out in a safe and dignified manner."

This adventure has been very trying for the migrants. But they remain grateful for the response to their situation. The coordination of their care is a very good example of African integration, solidarity, humanity and respect for human dignity.

For more information, please contact
Ameyo Bellya Sekpon
Communication and Awarness – raising OIM Cameroun
Tél : 00 237 672 40 19 41
Email : bsekponameyo@iom.int