Burkina Faso welcomes first wave of miners expelled from Guinea, offers reintegration.
The 3,400 Burkinabe nationals, who were deported from Guinea and transported through Mali, were received at the Bobo-Dioulasso sports stadium by a delegation of several ministers, according to Burkina's government information service.
Main details:
The miners were forced to leave after Guinean authorities stopped artificial gold mining in the Sigiriya region, which borders Mali. They crossed into Mali before making their way back home to Burkina Faso.
The government established a support system for returnees, which includes security and health checks, followed by psychosocial assistance.
To support their recovery, the state offers various solutions, including enrolling minors in school, providing social-professional reintegration and facilitating entry to universities.
The authorities stated that this group represents only the first wave of returnees.