On Friday, the International Organization of Migration (IOM) announced that more than 150 Ghanaian migrants have been brought back from Libya through the first charter flight of its kind since COVID-19-related border closures.
The IOM said in a statement that the 150 Ghanaians travelled from Libya to their homeland on November 24 to arrive at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra.
“Upon arrival, migrants were tested for COVID-19 and provided with onward transportation cash assistance for their immediate needs, including travel to their home communities. The most vulnerable received medical and psychosocial assistance,” the statement noted.
“Libya accounts for 63.5 percent of the returns to Ghana under the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Other major countries of return include Niger, Mali and Mauritania,” the IOM statement said.
The IOM has revealed that about 584,500 migrants have been identified in Libya, including 27,200 Ghanaian citizens.