But an investigation conducted by Euronews journalists across seven African nations has uncovered massive failings in the programme, considered to be the EU’s flagship response to preventing migrants trying to get to Europe. The investigation has found that most of the migrants who have been through the programme did not receive the promised support upon their return to their home country. The IOM itself admits that only one-third of migrants who start the reintegration process actually complete the process. Many of those tens of thousands of migrants flown back from Libya had suffered detention, abuse and violence at the hands of people smugglers, militias and criminal gangs. Conditions are so bad in the north African country that the programme is called Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR), rather than the Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programme elsewhere in Africa.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 02, 2020 12:32 UTC