LAGOS, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday that 113 illegal West African immigrants were repatriated from Algeria this week.
The IOM said in a statement the 113 immigrants were mainly from Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal, including 5 women, 87 men and 21 children, and they were repatriated from Algeria to their home countries through two special flights.
"Thanks to a joint and coordinated effort, immigrants were able to return home before the Eid al-Adha and spend the holidays with their families," IOM said.
Prior to departure, IOM said the returnees underwent health checks and got tested for COVID-19.
The organization added it also provided them with pre-departure counseling services, protection screening and transportation assistance.
"IOM offered targeted assistance to immigrants with specific situations of vulnerability such as unaccompanied migrant children, victims of trafficking, and immigrants with medical conditions," the IOM said.
The IOM runs the Voluntary Humanitarian Return program, which arranges the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya and Algeria to their homeland.
Since the start of the COVID-19, IOM has helped over 1,500 immigrants return to their home countries from Algeria securely, according to the statement. Enditem
