Tanga - The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the University of Dodoma, and the American Academy for Forensic Sciences organized a three-day workshop in Tanzania on the management of unidentified human remains of migrants. The training focused on the potential of ‘stable isotope analysis’.  

This process uses chemical signatures from human remains to obtain information about the diet and geographic travel histories of individuals to resolve cases of deaths and disappearances of migrants traveling through Tanzania. 

Tens of thousands of migrants embark on dangerous journeys from the East and Horn of Africa to South Africa and Mayotte Island. IOM's Missing Migrants Project has recorded more than 766 migrant deaths on the Southern Route between 2014 and mid-2024, but the death toll is likely much higher than reported. Forensic data collection management and sharing are also crucial to identifying missing migrants and responding to the needs of their families. 

“Tanzania's geographic location makes it a key transit corridor for both land and sea crossings. However, the remains of many migrants who perish on this perilous journey often remain unidentified, leaving many families suffering from ambiguous loss,” said Maurizio Busatti, IOM Chief of Mission, United Republic of Tanzania.  

“Today marks a significant milestone in our collective pursuit of knowledge and justice. The use of stable isotopes represents a cutting-edge approach in our quest to provide answers and closure to affected families and communities,” said Commissioner Shaaban Hikki, Director of Forensic Bureau of the Tanzania Police Force. 

“Information from stable isotope analysis is valuable because migrants have often traveled far from their countries of origin,” said Dr. Tiffany Fracchia, a Member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) - Humanitarian and Human Rights Resources Center.   

The three-day training also included a comprehensive overview of missing migrants data trends and challenges on the Southern Route from the Horn of Africa to the continent’s southern region. Participants were able to visit the site of graves of unidentified migrants who were shipwrecked on the Western Indian Ocean route in 2018.  

“Despite its infancy, the use of stable isotopes in humanitarian forensics has proven to provide geographic origin, diet, and travel history in months or years before death amplifying its significance to justice and human dignity,” said Forensic Science professor at the University of Dodoma, Dr. Said Vuai. 

"The spirit of the Global Compact of Migration encourages multi-stakeholder collaboration as the best way to address such communal and transnational issues,” added Busatti. “Through this innovative approach to partnerships between the government, the UN and academia, Tanzania has laid the groundwork for regional and global initiatives to address the crisis of missing migrants.” 

This activity has been supported through the Africa Regional Migration Program (ARMP) under the generous funding of the US Bureau for Populations, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Office of International Migration (IM). 

For more information, please contact Jorge Galindo, IOM GDI, Email: jgalindo@iom.int