Mogadishu, Somalia - December 18, 2024 A group of 147 Somali migrants stranded in Libya has safely returned home on Wednesday, thanks to the joint efforts of the Somali government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the European Union (EU). The group arrived in Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, and was welcomed by Somali government officials, EU representatives, and IOM delegates. The returnees are among the more than 1,500 Somali migrants reported in July by the IOM to have been stranded in Libya, many living in dangerous and precarious conditions. Most of the migrants were attempting to reach Europe via the Northern Mediterranean Route, passing through multiple countries including Libya. Despite an improving security situation, jobs and opportunities are very scarce in Somalia. With little to lose, many people, especially young people, are more likely to risk their lives for a better life. However, this is a route riddled with danger and ruthless human trafficking gangs who are eager to exploit them. Having eventually come back home with the help of authorities, Mohamed Muse felt lucky. "There are dozens of my friends still in Libya who didn't get this opportunity, and despite our efforts, they didn't manage to pass through airport checks. I am appealing to our leaders, especially the President and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to bring our colleagues back home as soon as possible," he said. The charter flight was carried out under the Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration Program for Sub-Saharan Africa (MPRR-SSA project) funded by the EU and managed by the IOM. The project aims to address critical challenges related to migration and mobility between the European Union and Africa, as well as within the African continent. Maryam Yassin, Somalia's special envoy for migrants and children's rights, highlighted the growing challenge of illegal migration. "As we speak, there are people on the move, traveling irregularly. And at some point, they will end up in the hands of the human traffickers. And these days, as you know, the percentage of or the possibility of reaching Europe is decreasing. Hence, we are looking at the situation whereby the number will be doubled next year," she said. Now international migration authorities are looking for a pro-active solution as they believe injecting a real sense of purpose and hope into people's hearts would be the key of population retention. Prestage Murima, IOM Somalia Deputy Chief of Mission, emphasized the importance of sustainable reintegration for returning migrants. "We give them a hand up and we support their small business ideas so that they can have a livelihood, make money for themselves, and they can integrate into the community, provide something to the community. And our reintegration happens at different levels with an individual-level reintegration, which is best for the individual. So, if I was the detainee, support would be given just for me. And then we have community-level reintegration support, which basically focuses on migration from communities where we know that the numbers are very high. And so, we work on community level to provide livelihoods for our community because we recognize that if we solve the community problem, we are also solving the individual-level problems," she said. The Somali government reports that over 9,000 Somali citizens have been repatriated from various countries since 2018, but there is still a long list of people awaiting, mainly from North Africa. SHOTLIST: Mogadishu, Somalia - Dec 18, 2024 1. Airplane taxiing at airport; 2. Airplane landing on ground; 3. Various of Somali migrants arriving at airport; 4. Officials welcoming, shaking hands with migrants; 5. Migrants walking inside airport terminal; 6. SOUNDBITE (Somali, dubbed in English) Mohamed Muse, repatriated Somali citizen (starting with shot 5): "There are dozens of my friends still in Libya who didn't get this opportunity, and despite our efforts, they didn't manage to pass through airport checks. I am appealing to our leaders, especially the president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to bring our colleagues back home as soon as possible."; 7. Officials waiting for migrant group in line; 8. Officials talking; 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Maryam Yassin, special envoy for migrants, children's rights, Federal Government of Somalia (starting with shot 8): "As we speak, there are people on the move, traveling irregularly. And at some point, they will end up in the hands of the human traffickers. And these days, the percentage of or the possibility of reaching Europe is decreasing. Hence, we are looking at the situation whereby the number will be doubled next year."; 10. Officials talking; 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Prestage Murima, Deputy Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Somalia: "We give them a hand up and we support their small business ideas so that they can have a livelihood, make money for themselves, and they can integrate into the community, provide something to the community. And our reintegration happens at different levels with an individual-level reintegration, which is best for the individual. So, if I was the detainee, support would be given just for me. And then we have community-level reintegration support, which basically focuses on migration from communities where we know that the numbers are very high. And so, we work on community level to provide livelihoods for our community because we recognize that if we solve the community problem, we are also solving the individual-level problems."; 12. Officials welcoming, shaking hands with migrants. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]