EU-Funded IOM Return Program Accused of Failing Returnees on Promised Support

Overview

• An AP report based on interviews in Guinea and Gambia describes returnees who say promised housing, medical care, training and business help have not materialized.
• The IOM says that from 2022 to 2025 it repatriated over 100,000 people under a $380 million budget, with 58% earmarked for post-return assistance.
• IOM officials report more than 90,000 returnees started and 60,000 completed reintegration, citing high caseloads and documentation issues as causes of delays and pledging to review individual cases.
• The EU offered no detailed public accounting of program spending, and a European Court of Auditors review of the 2016–2021 phase said monitoring was insufficient to prove sustainable results or value for money.
• Experts warn weak state services in origin countries limit reintegration, while broader EU deterrence measures coincide with irregular crossings falling to 112,000 in the first eight months of 2025, down over 20% year over year.