On Wednesday 22 November 2017, 164 Sierra Leoneans who were hoping to go to Europe and other parts of the world arrived in Sierra Leone after their deportation from Libya. All 164 deportees were present at the Siaka Steven Stadium in their blue and white clothes.
According to the Project Officer and Communication specialist at International Organization for Migration in Sierra Leone (IOM), Rashid Conteh, at around 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the deportees arrived in Sierra Leone, through the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affair and International Corporation in collaboration with IOM. He noted, “We are trying to integrate this set of Sierra Leoneans back to the society and also ensure that these individuals don’t have that same mindset that forced them out of the country in the first place.”
He furthered that they will be allocating €50 as transportation to the deportees to go back to their various communities adding that by December 2017 each deportee will receive €1,000 from IOM as a settlement package, which will not be physical cash. He also pointed out that this set of people came into the country willingly as a result of their bad experiences abroad.
While explaining her ordeal, a deportee, Isatu Koroma, called for more support. According to her, “I have lost everything back home; I only have the dresses that I am putting on presently. And I don’t know where to start my life.”
Another deportee, Mohamed, called on Sierra Leoneans to come to their rescue. He said it was a difficult journey with a very bad experience. He advised Sierra Leoneans to work very hard at home and desist from travelling to Europe or America through illegal means.
While cautioning the deportees, the Director for Provincial and Boarder Security, Officer of National Security (ONS), Mohamed Kamara, said nobody will be happy in such a bad situation. He highlighted that what government and IOM is about to provide to them is to give them some amount of relief from their difficulties. He added, “No one wants to go through such devastating situations and I am calling on you to accept whatever offer given to you.”
The Head of Mission IOM, Sanusi Savage, allayed the fears of the deportees. He noted that everybody will have what is meant for him. He encouraged the deportees to come up with business plans so that they can utilize their money wisely.
The Chair of the deportees, Sheik Bangura, thanked IOM and the government. He noted, “We have suffered a lot in Libya. We appreciate the effort of government and other partners to come to our recue.”
By Mohamed J. Bah
Thursday November 23, 2017.
ADVERTISEMENT