Cote d'Ivoire urges end to illegal youth immigration

Cote d'Ivoire authorities on Wednesday appealed for an end to illegal youth immigration, noting that this was exposing the youths to potential risks.

The special advisor to the country's integration minister, Yolande Tano, who was speaking during a conference organized by the Cote d'Ivoire Diaspora Association, denounced the dangers of illegal immigration and the "myth" of transit.

"There's need to sensitize those who may want to leave on the risks and cost of immigration, make them prepare for their departure as well as start life in a host nation," Tano said.

"For a long time, Cote d'Ivoire nationals who believed in the country's economic miracle did not see the need to go out of the country. It took the economic crisis of 1980s and the political upheavals of the last two decades for some citizens to try to migrate to other countries," she explained.

European journalists who traced illegal migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe warned the victims of the potential dangers of the journeys.

"You are in a country that is doing very well. Do not take the risk of searching for a hypothetical job elsewhere," she said.

According to Cote d'Ivoire Diaspora Association, at least 1.24 million Cote d'Ivoire nationals currently live outside the country.

According to organizations working against illegal immigration, in 2015 alone, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives while trying to reach Europe through the Mediterranean sea. Enditem