Return migration

DTM’s Flow Monitoring Registry (FMR) surveys people on the move at key transit points within South Sudan (SSD) and at its borders. It provides an insight into mobility trends, migration drivers and traveller profiles to inform programming by humanitarian and development partners and by the government, complementing DTM’s monitoring of COVID-19 mobility restrictions. In total, 25 Flow Monitoring Points (FMPs) were active in December 2021, surveying internal flows and cross-border travel with Uganda (UGA), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan (SDN), Ethiopia (ETH), Kenya (KEN) and the Central African Republic (CAR). A new FMP, Roriak, had been introduced. Activities at Rubkona Suksita were temporarily moved to Bentiu IDP Camp (Canoe Station) due to flooding. The FMP Malakal Bus Station continues to be suspended. Questions pertaining to physical and mental disabilities have been removed from the questionnaire and will not be reported on from this month onwards. Figures are only indicative of existing trends among respondents at the active FMPs since DTM does not have full coverage of cross-border or internal flows. Participation in the survey is voluntary and anonymous.

Please click here to access a summary dataset. 

DTM’s Flow Monitoring Registry (FMR) surveys people on the move at key transit points within South Sudan (SSD) and at its borders. It provides an insight into mobility trends, migration drivers and traveller profiles to inform programming by humanitarian and development partners and by the government, complementing DTM’s monitoring of COVID-19 mobility restrictions. In total, 24 Flow Monitoring Points (FMPs) were active in November 2021, surveying internal flows and cross-border travel with Uganda (UGA), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan (SDN), Ethiopia (ETH), Kenya (KEN) and the Central African Republic (CAR). The FMP Malakal Bus Station continues to be suspended. Figures are only indicative of existing trends among respondents at the active FMPs since DTM does not have full coverage of cross-border or internal flows. Participation in the survey is voluntary and anonymous.

Please click here to access a summary dataset. 

Migration is an integral part of life in West and Central Africa, a long tradition embedded in its historical, economic, social and cultural fabric. The region is a pivotal area of mobility, home to strong intraregional migration and, thanks to its strategic location at the crossroads, close exchanges with other regions.

The second edition of the “A Region on the Move” report provides an overview of population movement trends in West and Central Africa in 2021. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of mobility in the region and showcase the versatility, multidimensionality and nuances of regional mobility in West and Central Africa.

To that end, the report presents regional mobility using two broad strokes:

• Internal forced displacement: the report provides a detailed analysis of regional displacement numbers, trends and events in 2021, focussing on the five primary security crises affecting West and Central Africa (the Lake Chad Basin Crisis, the Central Sahel Crisis, the Central African Republic Crisis, Nigeria’s North West & North Central Crisis and Cameroons’ Anglophone Crisis)       

• Migration flows: the report provides a study of regional migration flows in West and Central Africa. This section makes a distinction between intraregional (internal to West and Central Africa) and inter-regional (with a focus on movements between West and Central Africa and North Africa and Europe) mobility: in each of these sections, the report examines the primary mobility trends and events observed in 2021 as well as the profiles of mobile populations.

The 2021 edition of the report also explores the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on mobility (including forced displacement and migration flows) and examines the health, socioeconomic, protection and  impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mobile populations.

The analysis builds on multiple data sources, most of them directly managed and collected by IOM, with external sources used to further complement the mobility picture and provide a holistic understanding of population movement dynamics in West and Central Africa. IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), which monitors internal forced displacements, migration flows, and characteristics of populations on the move constitutes the main data source for the report.

Con el fin de monitorear los movimientos e identificar las necesidades de refugiados y migrantes venezolanos como insumo para diseñar una mejor respuesta, la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) y el Grupo Interagencial sobre Flujos Migratorios Mixtos (GIFMM), han desarrollado desde julio de 2021 un ejercicio de monitoreo a través de analítica de WiFi , contando con 42 puntos localizados en diferentes departamentos, incluyendo aquellos ubicados en la frontera de Colombia con Venezuela (hacia el nororiente del país) y con Ecuador (suroccidente del país). El proyecto ha permitido beneficiar de manera directa a refugiados y migrantes que han accedido al servicio de internet, mientras que, paralelamente, se ha recolectado información que caracteriza el flujo y los perfiles de población en cada una de las regiones.

Este reporte analiza los resultados correspondientes al período comprendido entre el 18 de junio y el 31 de diciembre de 2021. Las cifras se presentan de forma desagregada para seis regiones delimitadas de acuerdo con las dinámicas históricas del flujo migratorio: región Central, región Caribe, región Caribe Norte, región Oriental, región Nororiental y región Sur, sobre las que se describen los principales hallazgos en términos de movimientos,

Round 14 of the Baseline Mobility Assessment (BMA) and Community-Based Needs Assessment (CBNA) were conducted in November and December 2021. The BMA assessment tracks mobility, provide information on population estimates, locations and geographic distribution of displaced, return and migrant populations, reasons for displacement, places of origin and periods of displacement, while the CBNA documents vulnerabilities and multisectoral needs.

The full BMA report can be found here: Baseline Mobility Assessment Summary Results (November—December 2021).

The full CBNA report can be found here:
Community-Based Needs Assessment: Summary Results (November—December 2021).

Le rapport de cartographie des mobilites en Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre presente les tendances de mobilites et facteurs de migration au sein de la region de l'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre (deplacements forces, transhumance, migration de main d'oeuvre, etc), soulignant la diversite et la complexite des mobilites dans la region. Le rapport se base sur les donnees recoltees au travers des outils de collecte de donnees de l'OIM et de donnes de partenaires tels que UNDESA, le HCR et les Ministeres de l'interieur. 

During the second half of 2020, the International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM) and the World Food Programme’s Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (WFP VAM) units undertook a joint household-level assessment of Juba’s urban area and Juba IDP Camps I and III, Wau’s urban area and Naivasha Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp, the urban area of Bentiu / Rubkona and Bentiu IDP Camp, and Malakal’s urban area and Malakal Protection of Civilians (PoC) site. These profiles quantify the prevalence of vulnerabilities and humanitarian needs across sectors, generate a better understanding of urban displacement and migration, including return and relocation after displacement in South Sudan or abroad, and evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions.

The assessment contributed to the extended Food Security and Nutrition Monitoring System (FSNMS+) initiative – endorsed by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) – to pilot a household-level multi-sector needs assessment for South Sudan. By expanding FSNMS coverage to key urban areas and IDP camps, the assessment addressed a long-standing information gap for the humanitarian response. Moreover, during this exercise, IOM updated the urban sampling frame developed in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) using satellite imagery and field mapping. The study collected a representative sample of 1,770 households in urban areas and 1,642 households in IDP sites.

The Mobility Overview 2021 report details significant movements within the country and a national overview of displacement and returns, which mainly draws from DTM’s Site Assessment, Emergency Site Assessment, Village Assessment Survey and an extensive national network of key informants.   

As of September 2021, displacement was estimated at 4.23 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) throughout Ethiopia. With the outbreak of the Northern Ethiopia Crisis, the Emergency Site Assessment round 8 estimated that there were 2.11 million IDPs displaced due to the Northern Ethiopia Crisis in August 2021 – 1.8 million IDPs displaced in Tigray, 151,040 IDPs in Amhara and 149,329 IDPs in Afar regions. In the second half of 2021, armed conflict moved further down south which resulted in an increase in the number of IDPs in Amhara and Afar regions which is estimated by key informants to have reached around 1.4 million IDPs and 470,000 IDPs respectively at the peak of displacement in early December 2021. Nevertheless, by the end of December 2021, mass returns were taking place in Amhara region. Displacement in the rest of Ethiopia is estimated at 2.12 million IDPs, according to Site Assessment round 27 which took place in August and September 2021. The primary cause of displacement was conflict in 1,160 sites (74%), and the primary reason IDPs were unable to return was that their houses were either damaged or destroyed (1,138 sites, 72%). In addition to conflict, climate induced displacement (droughts, flash floods and seasonal floods) were the primary cause of displacement in 353 sites (22%).

Regarding returns, DTM identified 1.5 million returning IDPs as of Village Assessment Survey round 10 in August and September 2021. A large number of returning IDPs were concentrated in Dawa zone, Somali region and were first identified through round 9 of the Village Assessment Survey when they began to return following the dry season to reconstruct homes that were damaged and in West Guji zone, Oromia region, following the Gedeo-West Guji Crisis in 2018. It is estimated that there have been significant returns in Tigray region as well but this could not be verified in person due to resource constraints and other operational challenges.      

In November through December 2021, DTM implemented the Community-Based Needs Assessment (CBNA) at the settlement level, as an integral component of DTM's Baseline Mobility Assessment (BMA), providing a comprehensive overview of the evolving, multi-sectoral needs in settlements hosting IDPs and returnees.

In Afghanistan, DTM employs the Baseline Mobility Assessment tool, designed to track mobility, determine the population sizes, locations and geographic distribution of forcibly displaced, return and migrant populations, reasons for displacement, places of origin, and times of displacement, as well as basic demographics, vulnerabilities and priority needs. Data is collected at the settlement level, through community focus group discussions with key informants and direct observations.

As of 31 December 2021, 34 provinces, 401 districts and 13,187 settlements have been assessed, including interviews with 82,923 community focal points. Between 2012 and December 2021, 5,149,245 returned migrants from abroad and 5,832,454 arrival IDPs currently living in host communities were identified.