IOM Tanzania and the MoFAIC welcomed a group of 53 Tanzanian nationals and their families who fled from the continuing crisis in Yemen to the Kingdom of  Saudi Arabia. IOM provided food, shelter and air transport assistance to help a group of 14 individuals who had fled to Jeddah to return home. The MoFAIC assisted and provided air tickets for the group of 39 who were temporarily housed in Muscat.

 IOM staff and officials from the MoFAIC greeted the families at the airport on 6 May 2015 and welcomed them home. Said Hamis, who arrived with the group, said “We are all happy to arrive in a place where our future is more secure.” Rosemary Chambe Jairo, Director of the Diaspora Department at the MoFAIC urged all Tanzanian nationals living overseas to register with their embassies, so that the government could work in collaboration with other organizations such as IOM to provide assistance in urgent situations.

IOM, with assistance from the Republic of Korea and the European Union (ECHO), has facilitated the return of over 500 third country nationals from over 20 countries to leave Yemen since the outbreak of the conflict. Damien Thuriaux, IOM Tanzania’s Chief of Mission, says “The organization continues to prioritize the safe and timely return of stranded migrants in unstable or insecure environments to their home countries.”