The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has facilitated the voluntary return of more than 5,000 irregular migrants from Tunisia during the first half of 2025, as part of its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme.
According to the IOM’s Tunis office, the latest repatriation flight on 29 July carried 170 migrants to Guinea, marking the twelfth such operation since the start of the year. In July alone, the organisation assisted 1,096 migrants through three chartered flights and 35 commercial ones.
The IOM emphasised that these returns were coordinated closely with Tunisian authorities and its country offices in migrants’ homelands, ensuring that each journey was safe, voluntary, and dignified.
Each returnee receives tailored support based on individual needs, including psychosocial counselling, economic assistance, and guidance toward community services in their country of origin, all aimed at fostering sustainable reintegration.
In 2024, a total of 7,250 migrants benefited from the programme, mostly from Gambia, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, a tenfold increase compared to 2018 figures.
