By Kadiatu A. Turay
On April 14, 2025, Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Social Welfare embraced 88 deported migrants 52 women, 30 children, and 6 men returning from Mauritania, offering them immediate medical care, food, and a pathway to rebuild their lives, the homecoming, marked by compassion and urgency, underscores the government’s commitment to reintegrating returnees while warning youth against the perils of illegal migration.
Upon arrival at Freetown International Airport, the group received health screenings led by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and Professor Foday’s health emergency response team. Nine pregnant women, battling complications like high blood pressure and preeclampsia, were rushed to Bo Government Hospital for specialized care. Dr. Evil Krabo, Medical superintendent of Hospitals on Wheels, reported most cases as mild but flagged a few severe conditions requiring swift intervention, they’re stable and pose no public health risk, he assured.
Each returnee was given a 50kg bag of rice, dignity kits with essentials, and transport funds to reach their home districts, from Kono to Kailahun. Social workers and counsellors, deployed by the Ministry, provided psychosocial support and began data collection to tailor reintegration plans, including vocational training in agriculture, tailoring, and computer literacy, we’re not just helping them survive we’re helping them thrive, said Minister of Social Welfare Melrosey Karminty, emphasizing long-term empowerment.
The migrants’ stories reveal shattered dreams. Salamatu Kamara, a 32-year-old mother, spent three years in Mauritania after being lured by false job promises, they said I’d earn well, but I faced hardship instead, she shared, voice trembling. Detained during a deportation sweep, she endured abandonment in the desert before rescue, aided by Senegal’s ambassador, Osman Kamara, a carpenter, faced discrimination and deportation while seeking work to join his wife, without papers, life was impossible, he said, grateful to be home but penniless.
The Ministry seized the moment to caution against irregular migration, the risks outweigh the promises our youth must explore opportunities here, Karminty urged, pointing to government programs like Feed Salone that bolster local livelihoods. Sierra Leone recorded over 1,200 deportations in 2024, per IOM data, highlighting the dangers of undocumented travel amid tightening global policies.
Returnees, while thankful, voiced needs beyond immediate aid, the rice helps, but I need capital to start over, said Salamatu, echoing calls for microloans or tools. Osman hoped for carpentry training to avoid past struggles, the Ministry pledged ongoing support, with plans to enrol returnees in national skills initiatives, though funding gaps evident in strained social welfare budgets pose challenges.
Public response blends empathy and resolve, these are our people they deserve a fresh start, said Freetown trader Fatmata Sesay, who donated clothes to the group, yet, some like student Mohamed Bangura want prevention, we need jobs here so no one leaves. Community groups, including the Sierra Leone Red Cross, are stepping in with counselling and supplies, easing the burden on overstretched agencies.
