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In Horn of Africa migrant support centres join fight against Covid-19

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In Horn of Africa migrant support centres join fight against Covid-19

4 June 2020
By: 
Staff from the Bosasso MRC in Puntland on an outreach in the informal settlement frequented by Ethiopian migrants
IOM
Staff from the Bosasso MRC in Puntland on an outreach in the informal settlement frequented by Ethiopian migrants

DuringJanuary 2020, some 11,000 irregular migrants arrived in Yemen en route to jobs in the wealthy GulfCooperationCouncilcountries, especially Saudi Arabia. Almost all migrants come from the Horn of Africa countries of Ethiopia and Somalia.

The 11,000 arrivals in January was very much in line with average monthly arrivals in 2019.

Now, with COVID-19, migrant crossings to Yemen from the region have plunged, down almost 75 per cent since March, with the steepest decline seen in migrants arriving from Djibouti (96%) and Somalia (65%).

The COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of migration has brought change to the seven Migration ResponseCentres, or MRCs, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) maintains inDjibouti,Ethiopia, Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland. The seven MRCs are designed to provide a lifeline for irregular migrants in distress. Typically, this includes those withoutfood, who are sick or who have been abandoned by smugglers.

“Extra measures such as obligatory hand washing and keeping a reasonable distance are currently in place when migrants approach thecentre,” explainedWriaRashid, head of the IOMBosassosub-office, referring to the MRC inBosasso, Puntland.

Services such as basic health checkups and screening, as well as referrals for shelter and medical assistance are continuing, funded through the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa, one of the mainprogrammessupportingMRCs.

Whereas before migrants visited MRCs for access to basic health services and migration information, since COVID-19 fewer are approaching MRCs for such services due to movement restrictions and fear of stigma.

At the MRC inObock, Djibouti, IOM staff officials are noticing fewer children on the move, but no change in the type of migrant arriving– mostly young Ethiopians aged 18 to 35.

Numbers are down significantly at the MRC in Hargeisa, Somaliland.“Due to border closure and restrictions, numbers have sharply decreased with minimum registrations at the MRC in Hargeisa. Movements are still taking place, in harsher and riskier conditions,” said CarlottaPanchetti, Migrant Protection and Assistance Officer with IOM Somalia.

Salematis a typical case. She has had to abandon her hope of getting to the Middle East and blames the tightening of travel restrictions. When the 18-year-old Ethiopian wasstranded inBosassoon her way to Yemen, she sought assistance at the MRC.

IOM staff checkedSalemat’stemperature and gave her latex gloves, a mask and awareness material in Amharic, her mother tongue. “My greatest fear is to be infected with COVID-19,” she explained. “But I can do nothing, I am just awaiting my predestination by Allah.”

InBosasso,MRC staff have bolstered outreach activities to informal settlements largely populated by migrants. IOM runs a hotline to letmigrantsphone in for on-the-spot information or to make appointments for arrange assisted voluntary return or access medical assistance. Between 20-30 calls are received each month; there was a slight uptick in May.

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