EU-IOM Joint Initiative

for Migrant Protection and Reintegration

When Safia and her husband, Khadar, decided to migrate to Europe for a better life in 2016, little did they know that the journey would change everything.

Furthermore, Safia was to be blamed for Khadar's misfortune.

With the help of smugglers, the couple travelled from Mogadishu to Ethiopia and finally to Sudan. Prior to crossing the Sudan-Libya border, they agreed not to travel together - they knew the danger ahead and preferred one of them to stay behind, as the other tested the waters.

The pair said goodbye to each other and agreed to meet in Italy, their intended destination.

Khadar continued the journey and Safia remained in a small village in Sudan near the border with Libya. For days she waited to hear from him. Finally, she got the devastating news from other migrants in Tripoli, Libya, that Khadar had died when the boat he was travelling in capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.

"They told me a boat capsized with 94 people on it. Twenty-four migrants survived, while 70, including my husband, died,” Safia explained. “After the accident, I was in complete shock and decided to cancel the trip and return home because I was afraid of the water."

Elsewhere in Somalia, Abdirizak was also on his own migration journey. At the age of 19 he left Mogadishu, his hometown, with the intention of improving himself financially and academically. He had long dreamt of starting a new life in Denmark, where some of his friends had already settled.

From Somalia he travelled through Kenya, then Ethiopia, and made it to Sudan where he was compelled to stay as the smugglers arranged the onward journey to Libya. However, Abdirisak and the group he was with were captured by the authorities and sent to a detention centre.

At the centre Abdirisak experienced a lot of hardship. “We were given food only once a day, and we were allowed to use the toilet once every 24 hours. Some of my friends could not stand this and started screaming out loud. They were tortured very badly,” he said.

Both Safia and Abdirizak were assisted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to return to their families. This support was provided through the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa (“the EU-IOM Joint Initiative”).

Migrants returning from Libya and the Middle East often present complex economic and psychosocial problems. Many are victims of trafficking, or report harsh treatment. Like Abdirizak, it is not unusual for migrants to have limited access to water, toilets, food, health services or privacy. In many instances migrants would have lost most or all their belongings.

Stigma is one more challenge that often makes it difficult for many to reintegrate, as explained by Hamdi Ahmed, a returnee from Libya. "’You've wasted a lot of money. Your colleagues who were studying when you left are working now. What about you?’ I keep hearing those words ever since I came back,’" he said.

It is far worse for Safia. "The family of my late husband still accuses me of causing his death. They say I am responsible because I convinced him to go to Europe,” she said. Safia’s experience serves to demonstrate the gulf often encountered between returnees and other community members.

IOM Somalia routinely works to bridge this gap to foster understanding between returnees and their communities of return. Among such initiatives was a recent mural-painting activity held at the Migration Response Centre (MRC) in Mogadishu.

There are 12 MRCs on key migration routes in the Horn of Africa. The centres provide migrants with a range of services, including shelter, food, personal hygiene items, footwear and clothing, in addition to health and psychosocial assistance.

"Painting allows you to express your feelings because different colours represent different emotions. That is why I am teaching these young people to use the colours that they think are relevant to their lives or to reflect a situation they have experienced," explained Aka Midnimo, a local artist.

As the initiative got underway, the participants began to open up to each other. They exchanged colours and brushes – small acts that led them to start building rapport.

"I've never had any personal issues with the returnees, but I've always been ashamed to see someone who lost much money to go somewhere else and instead has come back and is contributing nothing to the community,” remarked Hussein, a community member who participated in the training.

He added: “But now, when I listened to their stories and saw the wonderful paintings of the dangerous journey they embarked on, I realized I was wrong. Indeed, they have suffered a lot. I feel sorry for them, and I am glad they are back."

On the other hand, the returnees expressed their feelings on how well they benefited from the workshop.

"I pictured a pregnant mother who is divorced and sad because she has no other source of income. That's my story! This training has empowered me to illustrate my story and share it with other people without using a single word. I am excited about this new skill I have learned," said Fatima, explaining a picture she painted.

For the mural painting, the MRC selected 15 returnees and seven host community members. The centre – like the other MRCs in the region - works to build strong ties between returnees and the local community.  

“Such activities help release stress and anxieties and strengthen self-reliance. Importantly, they provide a safe space for discussion, break barriers and misconceptions, and support participants in creating strong bonds with each other,” said Laura Boucsein, IOM’s Regional MRC Coordinator in the Horn of Africa.  

*Names have been changed.

Story by Ismael Osman. Edited by Wilson Johwa