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Ailing migrant dies as IOM supports 13 stranded travellers along Cote d’Ivoire –Ghana border
13 migrants stranded along Cote d’Ivoire –Ghana border have received support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
One of the stranded migrants who was I’ll died in the classroom in Noé.
“Travel hassles basically come with the territory for sojourners across West Africa. But what the 13 men and women experienced these recent weeks may set a new standard for delay,” a statement by IOM said, adding:”Because of the COVID-19 lockdown, the plight of these travelers became a concern for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) which has assisted thousands of migrants stranded in Africa since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their story starts in the streets of Noé, a small town located in Côte d’Ivoire near that country’s border with Ghana.
“There, 13 vulnerable migrants originating from Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone were forced to spend more than a month seeking makeshift shelter, as well as food and medical attention after authorities in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire closed their respective borders to travellers.”
The migrants, including four women and nine men, according to the IOM had been stranded in Côte d’Ivoire since 22 March. Among the stranded migrants were bus drivers who work shuttling passengers between Liberia and Ghana, who now found themselves unable to move. Others among the stranded were traders seeking to enter Côte d’Ivoire for commerce.
“At first, the stranded migrants slept at the border station, although a few found temporary lodging at a small hotel. IOM became aware of their plight on 15 April, nearly four weeks after the border closure, and persuaded authorities in Noé to repurpose two schoolrooms—also shuttered in response to the pandemic—to safely house the men and women.
“On Saturday, 9 May, IOM provided food, hygiene products and other essential items to the stranded travellers. IOM also began registering those willing to return to their country of origin. Unfortunately, later that same day, one man who was already ill—but not with the coronavirus– died in the classroom in Noé.
“IOM relied for this aid on the support of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration, in collaboration with regional authorities and social services agencies.
To support the Ivoirian government’s COVID-19 response, IOM donated on Monday (11/05) health equipment, including thermometers, masks and hydroalcoholic solution, to improve the working conditions of frontline workers at ten land points of entry (POEs).”
Marina Schramm, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Côte d’Ivoire said:” Côte d’Ivoire has kept its borders open to ensure transportation of goods, which is vital to the country and region’s economy, but like in many other countries, borders are closed to travelers.
“It is therefore crucial that agents in charge of registration at entries and exits points are trained and equipped to be able to identify and respond effectively to health risks.”
As of 11 May, more than 1,600 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported by the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene of Côte d’Ivoire.
The closure of border posts has a heavy impact on the border communities’ economic activities. The provision of training and equipment will enable border officials to conduct their activities safely and reopen the border posts quickly, as well as prevent and detect possible COVID-19 cases.
During the month of May, border officials will be trained in how to use the equipment, as well as in the registration at crossing points and referral of suspected cases by IOM and local partners.
Border officials, as frontline workers in the COVID-19 response, will also be provided with registration forms that will allow for the development of a mobility profile at the different POEs. In the longer term, the equipment and training for border officials will help ensure a smooth transition towards the reopening – even partial – of Côte d’Ivoire’s borders.
This training activity is part of the project, “Enhance the capacity of Côte d’Ivoire’s authorities to Comprehensively Address Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling – COCOTIP” funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Biden reverses Trump’s travel ban on Nigeria, Yemen, Eritrea, others
Mr Biden has now nullified the entry ban on citizens from over a dozen countries, including Eritrea, Yemen, Nigeria, and Sudan.
Newly sworn-in American president, Joe Biden, on Wednesday, issued an executive order nullifying a travel ban imposed on citizens of some Muslim-majority countries by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Before his exit from White House on Wednesday, Mr Trump-led administration was notorious for its harsh policies against immigrants and asylum seekers, one of his many election campaign promises.
He tightened the policies amidst the coronavirus pandemic which rocked the globe, claiming his decision was to protect American populace.
However, Mr Biden, immediately after his inauguration on Wednesday, issued a number of executive orders undoing some of the policies and projects of his predecessor.
Reversals
Mr Biden has now nullified the entry ban on citizens from over a dozen countries, including Nigeria, Eritrea, Yemen, and Sudan.
“There’s no time to waste.
“These are just all starting points,” he said before signing the 17 executive orders in the White House, a statement that connotes the possibility of many more to come.
Mr Trump’s strict immigration policies have been condemned by leaders and civil groups in the past.
The American Civil Liberties Union, on Wednesday lauded Mr Biden’s decision berating his predecessor’s travel policy a “cruel Muslim ban that targeted Africans.
Culled from Premium Times
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Frightened residents brace as Cyclone Eloise approaches Mozambique
IOM is assisting the Government of Mozambique’s preparations for the arrival of Cyclone Eloise, moving people to safety in accommodation centers in Buzi. Photo: IOM 2021
Roughly 160 International Organization for Migration (IOM) staff in central Mozambique are working to prepare local communities for the imminent arrival of Cyclone Eloise, which is currently packing winds of at least 150 km/h.
“The people are scared,” said Cesaltino Vilanculo, an IOM Mobile team leader in the provincial capital Beira, who helped hundreds of families evacuate from unsafe temporary settlements to two accommodation centers.
“The water is rising in their zones and people are frightened, bracing for yet another storm.”
Eloise is expected to make landfall in Beira late Friday or early Saturday. By mid-afternoon today shops across the city are closed and flooded streets, empty.
IOM personnel will be ready to respond immediately with specialists in camp coordination and management, shelter, the distribution of non-food items, health and protection services and data mapping under IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM).
The Port of Beira is set to close on Friday for a period of about 40 hours in expectation of dangerous winds and rain from the afternoon of 22 January through the morning of 24 January. Beira is the main entry point for goods bound for north coastal Mozambique.
A limited supply of emergency non-food items had been stockpiled in Beira, including tarps and water tanks. However, resources are stretched, as IOM is actively responding to the crisis across Northern Mozambique.
At the same time, over 900 people are already displaced in Beira City due to recent heavy rains and the impact of Tropical Storm Chalane, which hit nearby Sofala Province on 30 December.
“The government is working, identifying the safe places to bring the people who are most vulnerable,” explained Aida Temba, a protection project assistant with IOM Mozambique.
“The rain is coming, and the water is rising and it’s not easy to reach all the people who need assistance. But we do our best to respond.”
Hundreds of families were evacuated to two accommodation centres, sheltered in tents provided by Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD). One accommodation center was today closed, in favor of moving families to schools, which provide more stable structure. Those families’ needs include food, potable water, hygiene kits and soap.
IOM Mozambique also has reported that due to heavy rainfall and the discharge of water from the Chicamba dam and the Mavuzi reservoir—both in the Buzi District west of Beira—over 19,000 people have been affected and hundreds are being moved to accommodation centers. Their needs include food, hygiene kits, and COVID-19 prevention materials.
IOM staff are supporting the Government of Mozambique with the movements in both Beira and Buzi and actively working to improve drainage ways in resettlement sites in preparation for further rains.
IOM’s DTM, working jointly with Mozambique’s INGD, is poised to produce a report on displacement and damages within the first 72 hours of the cyclone’s arrival.
Tropical storms historically are common in these early months of rainy season. Cyclone Idai struck the country in March 2019. It is considered one of the worst tropical cyclones to hit Africa on record, claiming hundreds of lives, and affecting three million people across wide swaths of Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi and Zimbabwe. A second powerful storm, Cyclone Kenneth, hit Mozambique just weeks later.
Total property damages from Cyclone Idai have been estimated at some USD2.2 billion. Almost two years later, roughly 100,000 people remain in resettlement sites, which also have been battered by the recent rains.
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