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european Union has given to international organization migration Millions of dollars to help thousands of people African Migrants return from an unsuccessful trip to Europe and assist them in returning home.
But The Associated Press interviewed several returnees to Gambia and Guinea and observed a WhatsApp group of dozens of people who say they have received little or none of the promised economic and other support.
Migration experts say the UN-affiliated organization IOM is not providing enough assistance to those who are often harmed by migration efforts. Frustration can fuel new efforts. The IOM says it is worrying to hear that people are waiting but cannot talk about individual cases.
The EU did not provide details on where the money goes. The European Union body, the European Court of Auditors, audited the first phase of the program between 2016 and 2021 and said the EU “could not prove value for money.”
Here’s what to know.
Aim to keep migrants out of Europe
The EU-funded IOM program was launched in 2016 and pays for return flights for African migrants and promises follow-up assistance once they return home. Between 2022 and 2025, it repatriated more than 100,000 sub-Saharan migrants from North Africa and Niger.
Of the $380 million budget for that period, 58% is allocated to post-return assistance. The IOM says it can support “anything from housing, medical assistance or psychosocial services to business grants, vocational training and job placement.”
The IOM program coincides with other efforts by Europe to stem migration, including paying some African governments to stop migrants, an approach that has been criticized by human rights groups. Europe’s efforts appear to be working. In the first eight months of 2025, it recorded 112,000 “irregular” crossings, 20% less than the same period last year, and a drop of more than 50% from two years earlier.
What do the returnees say?
Returnees told AP that IOM has not fulfilled promises of repatriation support, leaving them exposed to trauma, massive debt and family embarrassment.
The AP spoke to three returnees in Gambia and three in Guinea and were shown a WhatsApp group of more than 50 members that was set up based on returnees’ frustrations with IOM. He described months of reaching out to IOM without a reply.
Kabinate Kante, 20, of Guinea, spent nearly two years trying to reach Europe. They said they were captured at sea and thrown into the desert, and even now they wake up at night screaming.
He returned to Guinea in July with the help of IOM. He said he wanted to learn to drive a bulldozer but IOM ignored his calls and when he went to their office, they asked him to stop calling. He created a WhatsApp group for over 50 other returned migrants in a similar situation.
He has no way to repay his parents, who supported his journey by sending money to pay smugglers and bribed officials.
“Right now, I’m not doing anything,” he said, hanging his head in embarrassment.
What do IOM and EU say?
Francois Xavier Ada of the IOM regional office in West Africa told the AP that more than 90,000 people have begun the return, and 60,000 have completed, adding that the reintegration process is “tailored to individual needs.”
Aida said the IOM was “concerned” to learn of those who were made to wait and was “pleased to see these cases.” He said the delay could be due to overload of cases or incomplete documentation. Medical assistance is provided on the basis of “assessed needs”.
IOM’s country office in Guinea said it could not talk about individual cases because they were confidential.
The EU did not respond to any questions other than repeating IOM’s statements.
What do experts say
Josephine Libel of the Brussels-based European Council on Refugees and Exiles said that “There is very little public scrutiny of the question of how this support actually helps people in very vulnerable situations, which is due to the fact that there is a lack of transparency and accountability of how EU funding works outside the EU.”
Experts say that although IOM’s return programs help people escape inhumane treatment, it is often impossible to provide promised follow-up support because state services in most migrants’ home countries are poorly functioning.
“The biggest gap is support for returnees to reintegrate, providing access to social protection and labor markets,” said Camille Le Coz, director of the Brussels-based Migration Policy Institute.
Elhadj Mohamed Diallo, director of the Guinean Organization for the Fight against Irregular Migration, works with IOM on reintegration activities. He said he does not blame returnees who try to flee again.
“We’re not helping them so they can live. We’re helping them so they can take control of their lives again,” he said. “Migration is a natural thing. Stopping a person is like stopping the tide. When you stop water, the water will find its way out.”
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