Coronavirus lockdowns have almost halved the number of migrants moving across West and Central Africa, the UN-backed International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2020) Coronavirus lockdowns have almost halved the number of migrants moving across West and Central Africa, the UN-backed International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Tuesday.
"Data collected at 35 key transit points across West and Central Africa ... indicate regional migration has dropped by nearly 50 per cent during the first half of 2020," the press release reads.
The agency said that at least 33,000 migrants were stranded at borders, including overcrowded transit centers, after restrictions on mobility were introduced to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
Many of those affected are seasonal workers involved in farming and gold mining, most of them from the Gulf of Guinea countries. Other frequent travelers are herders and Quranic students.
