MOGADISHU, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN migration agency said on Friday that it has helped 17 Somali migrants to voluntarily return home from Tanzania following months of confinement in detention centers.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the returnees who returned home on Wednesday were rounded up by Tanzanian authorities as they embarked on an unsuccessful journey to South Africa.
"This assistance was provided in close coordination with the governments of Somalia and Tanzania and will enable the Somali returnees to build a future back home," the IOM said in a statement.
It said the assistance includes medical check-ups, housing, group and psychosocial counseling, along with longer-term support towards developing job skills and starting up small businesses to have gainful employment and decent livelihoods.
The UN agency said the latest intervention was made under the auspices of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa
"The latest return will bring the number of Somalis assisted by IOM under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative to 82 since March 2017," said the UN migration agency.
According to IOM, the Joint Initiative aims to assist at least 1,000 Somali returnees before March 2020, noting that the project has been set up in close cooperation with a total of 26 African countries.
