EU-IOM Joint Initiative

for Migrant Protection and Reintegration

A new Migration Response Centre (MRC) catering to the needs of vulnerable migrants returning to Somalia is due to open its doors in Mogadishu.

It follows the official hand-over of the facility by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to the Banadir Regional Administration, its main governmental counterpart in Mogadishu. The city represents a hub for returning migrants both through IOM programmes of voluntarily return as well as for migrants forcibly returned.

The new MRC is funded by the European Union Trust Fund (EUTF) and the Migration Resource Allocation Committee (MIRAC). Other funding support for the running of the MRC will come from the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa.      

The new MRC is the eighth of its kind in the Horn of Africa and complements the services provided by the two MRCs located in Bossaso and Hargeisa. The facilities serve as one-stop centres for stranded migrants and returnees, including victims of trafficking as well as for unaccompanied and separated children in need of information and protection related services.

The MRC will contribute to IOM’s objective towards strengthening the humane management of mixed migration flows in Somalia. The country presents a complex and diverse migration profile as a source, transit and destination location at the centre of multiple migration routes.  

Returning migrants often lack access to basic services such as medical, psychosocial and legal assistance and are in need of support in sustainably reintegrating into their communities of origin.

The Mogadishu MRC is part of IOM Somalia’s efforts to expand its migrant protection, assistance and community engagement activities across the country. “It will provide migrants with direct assistance, information, counselling, and referrals, as well as play a key role in promoting the sustainable reintegration of Somali returnees provided with Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR),” said Isaac Munyae, a programme manager with IOM Somalia.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, the mayor of Mogadishu within the Banadir Regional Administration, Omar Mohamed Mohamud, highlighted the importance of boosting efforts to protect the rights of migrants and returnees. “This is a special MRC because it is the first in southern Somalia that will provide services to vulnerable Somali returning migrants,” he said.

Richard Danziger, IOM Somalia Chief of Mission added: “There is no question that once they come back, many of these young Somali migrants need support, and the right support on their return will really contribute to the rebuilding of Somalia.” 

The MRC also complements work carried out under the EU-REINTEG programme on ‘Facilitating Return through Laying Foundations for Somalia in the Horn of Africa’ (FLASH). This initiative seeks to ensure a more robust approach to mixed migration dynamics in the region.

About the EU-IOM Joint Initiative 

Launched in December 2016 and funded by the European Union (EU) Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the programme brings together 26 African countries of the Sahel and Lake Chad region, the Horn of Africa, and North Africa, the EU and IOM around the goal of ensuring  migration is safer, more informed and better governed for both migrants and their communities.