Djibouti City – Ethiopian government officials supported by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), under the BMM and the “Durable Solutions for the most vulnerable host populations, refugees and migrants living in Djibouti territory”  programme, have wrapped up a visit to Djibouti as part of a cross-border engagement aimed at protecting vulnerable Ethiopian migrant children.  

The four-day visit solidified ongoing discussions between the Ethiopian and Djibouti governments, and non-governmental partners on sustainable solutions for child migrants. They also discussed the establishment of coordinated cross-border operations and systems for the safe return and reintegration of migrant children.

During the tour, officials from Ethiopia and Djibouti examined the challenges faced by Ethiopian migrants and migrant children in Djibouti and visited important border crossing areas such as Ali Sabieh, Obock, Dewelle, Guelileh, and Fanteherou, which experience irregular migrant flows.

“Two trends make this meeting particularly relevant: the increase in reported deaths along the route and a steady flow of returns from Yemen,” said IOM Chief of Mission, Mrs Tanja Pacifico when she met the officials. 

Apart from witnessing firsthand the perilous paths taken by Ethiopian migrants, officials gained knowledge on existing services and protection mechanisms in place, such as the Migration Response Centre in Obock, a shelter for vulnerable migrants in Djibouti and the CARITAS center in Djibouti city.

Last week's visit follows a first cross-border exchange between Ethiopia and Djibouti that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May. During this meeting, the representatives of the two countries stressed the need for strengthened coordination and further cross-border consultations in line with existing cooperation frameworks and procedures on the assistance to migrant children in vulnerable situations.

The two partner countries agreed to reinforce their collaboration through the relaunch of the Ethiopia-Djibouti Cross-Border Exchange Programme on the Protection, Return, and Sustainable Reintegration of Vulnerable Migrant Children. The goals are to improve the protection of migrant children in Djibouti, as well as to strengthen government's capacity to respond to the specific needs of vulnerable migrants. 

The Better Migration Management (BMM) programme is a regional project that aims to improve migration management and combat trafficking in persons (TiP) and smuggling of migrant (SoM) from and within the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA) region. It is co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project "Durable solutions for the most vulnerable host populations, refugees and migrants living in Djibouti territory" funded by the European Union, aims to protect refugees and migrants and provides sustainable solutions to support refugees, migrants and host populations. In addition, the project aims to reduce the vulnerability of migrant children most affected by mixed migration in Djibouti and to strengthen the government's capacity to better anticipate and manage the impact of migratory flows in the health and water sectors.

For more information contact in Ethiopia, Eric Mazango emazango@iom.int and in Djibouti, Kaousar Saad ksaad@iom.int