Four migrants are to start their journey back home tomorrow under the DAR voluntary return programme coordinated by the Foreign Ministry.

The ministry said their departure would mean that the initial target of 50 returnees would have been achieved two months early.

Over the past few months 29 migrants returned to Ghana, eight to Sudan, six to Nigeria, three to Kyrgyzstan, two to Mali and one each to Cameroon and Niger.

A further 20 migrants will leave Malta next month, pushing the number of returnees to 70.

The DAR project is being carried out in conjunction with SOS Malta and Med-Europe of Italy. It is co-funded by the European Commission.

Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said this repatriation exercise was a success.

He referred to developments in the past days which will see France taking 80 immigrants from Malta next year and noted that the European Commission had approved a grant of €5 million which would be used in repatriation schemes for illegal migrants over the next five years.

He said Malta would be using these funds to promote sustainable voluntary return by offering tailor-made assistance, counselling, information and reintegration packages to returnees as well as to perform forced return operations of migrants staying illegally.