Over 750 Sierra Leoneans, including women and children, are stranded in a camp managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Agadez, Niger.
According to Musa Alie Sesay, the group’s spokesperson, they are facing significant healthcare challenges while awaiting repatriation to Sierra Leone.
Sesay stated that the group has already been processed and cleared by IOM officials and is ready to return home. However, they allege that the Sierra Leonean government has yet to grant the necessary approval for their departure from Niger.
“We have all been thoroughly vetted… We are Sierra Leoneans who fled our country in search of better opportunities,” Sesay explained.
He also noted that many of them were arrested in Libya, Morocco, and Algeria and later deported to Niger.
The group is urgently appealing to the Government of Sierra Leone, specifically the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, to expedite the repatriation process so they can safely return to their home country.
