Gabú - On December 13 and 14, two days of festivities were held in Gabu, the capital of eastern Guinea-Bissau to celebrate International Migrants Day 2019. This festival has a particularly special significance in this region as Gabu has the highest migration rate in the whole country, according to recent data from IOM.

During these two days, focus group discussions, radio spots, and a public march event were organized to raise awareness on the risks and dangers of irregular migration, as well as encourage social cohesion between returned migrants and their communities.

The activities involved community leaders, youth and other associations, local government and the central government. The event was attended by the Secretary of State for Culture and the Director-General of Culture of Guinea-Bissau, among several other representatives of society organizations. operating in the fields related to migration issues.

The highlight of the Festival was a music concert attended by over 3,000 people, including children, youth, adults and seniors. During the concert, rapper and returned migrant Abdul performed.

Guinea-Bissau is a country of origin for many young people who are looking for better livelihood opportunities abroad. But it is also a country of destination and of transit of many migrants from West and Central Africa. According to authorities, there were more than 70,000 immigrants from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries residing in Guinea Bissau in 2018.

In 2017, IOM, with support from the EU Trust Fund for Africa launched the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration. As of October 2019, 588 migrants were assisted with post-arrival reception and/ or reintegration assistance in Guinea-Bissau.

For more information, please contact Laura Amadori at IOM Guinea-Bissau. Email: lamadori@iom.int