Beirut – IOM continues to support the evacuation of migrants stranded by the conflict in Lebanon, assisting 169 Sierra Leonean migrants to return home on 19 November.  

Organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Lebanon and local authorities, the migrants departed from Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on a charter flight bound for Freetown, Sierra Leone, where they were welcomed by the IOM team. 

Their journey home was arranged in collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.   

Kadiatu, one of the returning migrants, said, “I felt out of hope in the shelter, and now I can’t express how happy I am. Truly, there is no place like home.” 

In addition to the group of migrants from Sierra Leone, this week, IOM has arranged the return of 40 migrants to Kenya, six to Bangladesh, and two to go to Togo via commercial flights. 

Before the current crisis, more than 180,000 migrants lived in Lebanon. IOM estimates that some 24,750 migrants have been displaced by the conflict. Like all displaced persons in Lebanon, they urgently need humanitarian support including safe shelter, mattresses and blankets, food, and basic services including healthcare. IOM continues to deliver an inclusive humanitarian response for all displaced and conflict-affected persons. 

“IOM is proud to support these migrants in their most difficult moments to return home safely and with dignity. We continue to work with partners to arrange more return flights for vulnerable migrants in Lebanon,” said Mathieu Luciano, IOM Lebanon's Head of Office. 

Even before the conflict, many migrants, particularly female migrant domestic workers, were in vulnerable situations due to exploitative practices and lack of legal protection. As hostilities escalated, some were left behind by their employers or locked inside the employers’ houses.  

Due to these precarious conditions, IOM continues to receive urgent requests from migrants for assistance, particularly for evacuation. IOM is working with partners and Embassies to secure assistance and funding to meet this demand. 

***

For more information, please contact:    

In Lebanon: Joelle Mhanna, jmhanna@iom.int 
In Cairo: Joe Lowry, jlowry@iom.int 
In Geneva: Kennedy Okoth, kokoth@iom.int