IOM suspends returns by sea

The International Organization for Migration reported on Friday it had suspended the repatriation of Sierra Leonean refugees due to lack of money and because “relatively few refugees currently want to return”. However, IOM spokesperson Jean Philippe Chauzy said from Geneva that the operation would resume if the need arose. An IOM chartered ship, the MV Overbeck, made its last run from Conakry, Guinea, to Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Wednesday with 150 refugees. In July, the ship completed two rotations between both capitals with a total 365 returnees. Close to 25,000 refugees have been repatriated to Sierra Leone since IOM took over the operation from the UNHCR in January 2001. This operation has been paid for by Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.