- A group of 63 stranded and rescued Gambians whose efforts to reach the European shores have been aborted, were assisted by the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to return home voluntarily, which was in response to a growing number of requests for help.
"The Gambians had set out on the perilous journey to the Canary Islands on 6 May from the Senegalese capital, Dakar, in a 30 metre-long boat along with 58 others, mostly Senegalese, irregular migrants. Each passenger had paid about US$700 for the voyage," the IOM officials said.
After two weeks at sea and having run out of fuel, the patched wooden boat had been blown towards the African coast by a storm. A nearby fishing vessel alerted the Moroccan authorities of the distressed boat and its passengers.
After their rescue at sea, the rescued migrants were left with battling life without money and papers. Migrants could not withstand this and decided to seek assistance to return home. With funds from the British, German and Spanish governments, the migrants' repatriation was coordinated by the IOM, Moroccan and Gambian authorities.
IOM officials said since the opening of their office in Rabat, Morocco, in January 2007, the number of requests made by irregular migrants wishing to return to their home countries has been unprecedented.
“In just a few months, IOM has helped 640 irregular migrants stranded in Morocco, not just with returning home safely, but also with reintegration assistance,” IOM’s Chief of Mission in Rabat, Stéphane Rostiaux, concurred.
“However, we urgently need additional funds if we are to continue providing such humanitarian assistance. Without it, we will have to limit our help before eventually stopping it. We don’t want to raise false hopes amongst stranded migrants wanting to go home but who have few options of doing so safely.”
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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