Return Migration to Mali: Examining definitions and statistical sources

Abstract

The definitions of return migration adopted by national censuses and large-scale surveys reflect domestic policy perceptions and priorities as applied to return and return migrants. The first part of this study explores the ways in which the definitions adopted by national statistical agencies in West Africa and, more specifically in Mali, have varied over time with various types of migration flows in specific periods of time, the priority given to nation-building dynamics, and with the influence of external drivers. The second part sets out to investigate the sources of official data on return migration in Mali and discusses the availability and reliability of such data. A section is devoted to so-called “enforced return”, i.e., the removal of unauthorized migrants, which has been subject to major policy attention in bilateral and multilateral talks involving Mali while shaping at the same time policy priorities and perceptions.