Assisting a World on the Move
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RO Nairobi Newsletter December 2013 ASSISTING A WORLD ON THE MOVE INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. IOM provides humanitarian assistance to expelled migrants from Tanzania 2. IOM Ethiopia deals with an influx of Ethiopian migrants from Saudi Arabia 3. Inter-agency efforts in Turkana, Kenya, strive for building resilience among pastoralist communities 4. IOM boosts efforts for sustainable reintegration for Rwandan returnees 5. Tanzania rolls out e-system for residence permits 6. Regional director holds key talks with Ugandan ministers. IOM PROVIDES EMERgEncy ASSISTAncE TO ExPEllED MIgRAnts from TAnzAnIA On 25 July 2013, Tanzania’s President Kikwete In Burundi, a joint rapid assessment As of 15 December, IOM and its in transit centres or in areas of return. gave a public directive that all migrants in conducted by IOM, partner UN agencies partners continued to register, at a the Kagera region without “valid residential and NGOs, to assess the needs and gaps of lower scale, new arrivals in Rwanda, The Rwandan Government now plans documents”, had to leave the country by returning Burundians in the provinces of Burundi and Uganda. Following the close the transit centres by end of 11 August 2013, or be forcibly removed by Rutana and Muyinga concluded that the annual presidential pardon granted to January 2014, as it focuses on relocating security forces. Although it is estimated that situation would likely worsen over time if prisoners by the President of Tanzania over 6,000 migrants who have no home Kagera Region had an estimated 35,000 nothing was done, as the expelled migrants on 9 December, a group of 76 young areas to return to. These migrants will be irregular migrants, it was made clear by the continued to exert pressure on the already Burundian men arrived in Burundi, resettled in districts designated by the UN in Tanzania, that these migrants were not poor host population. having been released from prisons. government. refugees. The majority of the migrants were from Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. There were fears of disease outbreaks The arriving migrants in Burundi are The government acknowledges the especially as the cold weather progressed. registered at the entry points, allowing provision of reintegration assistance Due to President Kikwete’s directive, an Risks of diarrhoea, malaria, conjunctivitis, them to access food rations and for all the expelled migrants as most estimated caseload of up to 35,000 individuals respiratory diseases, cholera (which was transportation assistance to areas of pressing. These migrants are in need of was expected to return to Burundi, Rwanda already prevalent in some return provinces), origin. The Ministry of National Solidarity sustainable livelihoods and shelter. and Uganda. As of 15 December 2013, over deteriorating health and sanitary conditions. continues committed to coordinate In Uganda, health challenges in Sango- 55,000 individuals had crossed the Tanzanian the ongoing response to the expelled Bay continued unabated with clinics border into Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, IOM took lead and provided assistance in migrants situation. IOM is currently treating increased cases of malaria with Burundi receiving the largest caseload of information management systems, set up building a new transit centre in Rutana and upper respiratory tract infections. over 37,000 migrnats. of transit centres near strategic and main and rehabilitating two transit centres in However, cases of watery diarrhoea have entry points; in coordination with WFP and Makamba and Muyinga. The work on the decreased, while cases of severe acute “We did not have time to prepare. Police were FAO, organized return packages and provided transit centres follows a recommendation malnourishment of children under the arresting ‘visitors’, they asked us where our transportation assistance to returnee’s area of by an inter-agency working group to age of 5 years have spiked. homes were and depending on your answer, origin. improve their conditions. IOM, WFP, FAO you were transported to Burundi, Rwanda and UNICEF continue to provide food and IOM and partners continue to provide or Uganda. We were not allowed to pick The situation was similar in Uganda where Non-Food Items to the most vulnerable the much needed assistance for the anything”. This were the sentiment shared by a joint assessment team of IOM and individuals among the expelled migrants expelled migrants. majority of the migrants. Uganda’s Directorate of Immigration and Citizenship was undertaken to determine the Many of the migrants crossing the border are humanitarian needs of Ugandan and Rwandan agriculturalists and livestock farmers, many of expelled migrants in Rakai and Isingiro areas. whom were not authorized to take their cattle The assessments established that urgent need with them. Most arrived without any means for WASH facilities in Sango bay where the of survival as their possessions were left in migrants initially settled on arrival. Health Tanzania, or had to be sold at a low price due facilities were overstretched, shelter needs to the impending deadline of departure. were high and access to food was a concern. IOM took lead in the post arrival assistance of the expelled migrants in Burundi and provided transportation assistance from the reception centres to areas of origin, as well to transit centres, for migrants who did not have known homes. In Rwanda, the government took lead in identifying areas of origin for the migrants and coordinated with IOM in providing their Shelter, food and NFIs were of great concern at the beginning of the emergency response. transportation home. Children arrived mulnourished with many in need of medical attention FormerB URUnDIAn REfUgees STIll In nEED Of REInTEgration Support A year after they returned home from the Mtabila Refugee Camp in western Tanzania, former Burundian The beneficiaries have taken up livelihood activities refugees still face socio-economic challenges that such as small scale bakeries, palm oil production, hinder their effective reintegration into communities cassava processing, hair dressing and carpentry. In of return, according to IOM household socio-economic addition to the shelter and livelihood interventions, profiling conducted between 17 June and 24 August IOM has also designed a capacity building exercise 2013. for the livelihood beneficiaries. They will be provided with knowledge on how to manage their businesses The new data reveals acute needs in livelihood, access and the associations that they have established. to health, water and sanitation and access to food, among Burundian returnees who left Mtabila Refugee Camp between 31 October and 11 December 2012. The majority of the returnees have been re-absorbed in their areas of origin but have had to cope with Although all the former refugees are back to their destruction that was brought about by the civil respective communities of origin, their houses and strife in Burundi. The five provinces with the biggest livelihoods were destroyed during the civil war and number of returnees are Makamba, Rutana, Ruyigi, after more than 15 years in Tanzania, they came back Gitega and Karusi. to find destroyed homes. Women and children are most affected by conflcit and form the largest With funding from the European Commission- number of returneed from the Mtabila Refugee camp Marceline was only 14 years old when war broke out Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), IOM is in Burundi. She fled to Tanzania and with thousands working with the returnees to construct 2,000 shelters of other Burundian Refugees, she sought refuge in for a corresponding number of most vulnerable Tanzania and was hosted at the Mtabila Refugee returnee households. Camp. “This means so much especially during this extremely She came back to Burundi in November 2012 wet season. Shelter is crucial because apart from and having lived as a refugee for 18 years, her the harsh elements, it provides them with security surroundings felt strange. She had been away for from people with ill intentions,” says Alex Gachara, too long and the effect of the 1993-2005 civil war Chief of Nyabutare in Burundi’s southern Province of was still evident. There are no traces of houses left Makamba. behind by fleeing civilians and the challenge was how to start life anew. IOM is also supporting returnees from 500 families to establish livelihood opportunities. Chief Gachara Marceline is one of the beneficiaries of an IOM however feels that a lot more work needs to be done project that seeks to establish shelter for the to stabilize the returnees’ livelihoods. returned refugees, as well as to establish livelihood opportunities. Her drive for excellence sets her apart “Lives have been lost due to preventable causes such and her passion to make the best out of the situation as malaria. Those who have come back from Mtabila is refreshing. have challenges in accessing food,” adds Mr. Gachara. IOM’E S MERgEncy Post-Arrival say they had limited access to public utilities, the government have set up clinics at the inadequate meals, and a general lack of airport as well as the reception centres, where AssistancE fOR EThIOPIAn privacy. Many of those detained and returned the arriving migrants can receive medical RETURnees from ThE KIngDOM Of to Ethiopia arrived hungry, tired, in need of assistance. SAUDI ARABIA medical support and with little or no personal belongings. The Ethiopian government has dedicated Transit Centres with a carrying capacity of At the beginning of the operation the 6,000 individuals in the capital Addis Ababa. Government of Ethiopia indicated that the In addition, the World Food Programme number of migrants registered and waiting at has provided seven tents that are used for detention centres and police stations in KSA accommodation. Migrants who arrive in the was estimated at 30,000. However, within evening are hosted in these Transit Centres seven days of the operation, this number overnight and allowed to go home in the was revised upwards to 80,000 individuals, morning.