IOM starts operating MRC in Tog-Wajalle, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, May 11, 2023 (FBC) – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has started operating a Migration Response Centre (MRC) in Tog-Wajalle, Ethiopia to upscale its Migration Response Centre to respond to the Needs of Vulnerable Migrants in Ethiopia.

It is stated that the growing needs of people crossing in key border towns across Ethiopia, since 2019, IOM started operating a Migration Response Centre (MRC) in Tog-Wajalle, a key transit town for thousands of migrants trying to reach the Gulf through Somalia, supporting over 4,000 migrants since its opening.

MRCs are managed by key governmental ministries and departments, such as the Ministry of Justice, of Women and Social Affairs, of Health and the department of Immigration.

The organization, which is supporting an additional four MRCs, has seen an escalating need and has taken a step to expand its life-saving assistance and long-term support to stranded migrants along the main migratory routes in Ethiopia.

It is expected that the Tog-Wajalle MRC will continue assisting hundreds of migrants every week.

In the first quarter of 2023 alone, IOM has assisted close to 2,000 migrants.

Over the last year, the organization assisted over 8,000 migrants across the five MRCs

MRCs provide life-saving emergency assistance, including medical assessments and referrals, meals, accommodation, and clothing, to vulnerable migrants, alongside the Government of Ethiopia and regional administrators.

Migrants also receive information on the dangers of migrating irregularly and how such journeys expose them to human trafficking. Additionally, they are provided with transportation assistance to their hometowns, and the most vulnerable ones are assisted towards a livelihood project in their communities.

IOM, in cooperation with the Somali Regional State government and with funding from the Government of Norway, the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) under the Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme, and the US Government, constructed the new premises in Tog-Wajalle.