Thousands of African Migrants Return Home Under EU Program; Many Say Support Never Came

Tens of thousands of African migrants have been flown home under a European Union–funded program run by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). But many returnees say the promised support, business grants, job training and medical care, has never arrived.

The EU has given the IOM hundreds of millions of dollars since 2016 to help migrants who abandon dangerous journeys to Europe. The program pays for flights home and is supposed to help people restart their lives. Between 2022 and 2025, more than 100K migrants were returned from North Africa and Niger, with 58% of the budget earmarked for post-return aid.

But interviews by The Associated Press in Guinea and Gambia, along with messages from a WhatsApp group of more than 50 frustrated returnees, show a different picture. Migrants say they received little more than a short training course and a phone number — and no financial or medical assistance.

«I was told to wait, always wait,» said Oumar Bella Diallo, a 24-year-old Guinean who traveled through Mali, Algeria and Niger before giving up and returning home.

Diallo said the IOM rejected his request for medical help for an injury suffered during his trek through the desert.

Another returnee, 20-year-old Kabinet Kante, said he still suffers nightmares after nearly two years trying to reach Europe. He wanted training to operate heavy machinery but says the IOM «ignored» his calls. He created a WhatsApp group for others who say they’ve also received no support.

The IOM told AP it was «concerned» by the complaints and would review them, saying delays can occur due to high caseloads or missing documents. But experts say oversight is weak: the European Court of Auditors found the program’s first phase failed to show whether reintegration actually worked.

Returnees face intense pressure at home, where poverty and high youth unemployment push many to attempt the dangerous route again. «If there were jobs here, people would stay,» Diallo said.

Migration organizations warn that without real support, many returnees may try once more — despite trauma, debt and the deadly risks along the way.