IOM: 552 African migrants died or went missing on their way to Yemen this year

The International Organization for Migration announced the death or disappearance of 552 African migrants during their dangerous journey to Yemen since the beginning of this year.

“Migrants in Yemen suffer from extreme deprivation, with limited access to food, health care, and safe shelter. Many are forced to live in makeshift shelters or sleep on the streets, resorting to begging to survive,” the organization said in a recent report.

“This extreme vulnerability makes them vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and gender-based violence,” she added.

The UN organization stated that the journey to Yemen poses additional risks, as many migrants fall victim to smugglers who promise them a safe journey but often expose them to grave dangers. These risks continue even for those who try to leave Yemen.

She noted that at least 462 deaths and disappearances of migrants have been reported while crossing the sea between Djibouti and Yemen so far this year, and another 90 migrant deaths have been documented along the eastern route in 2024, according to the organization's Missing Migrants Project.

The International Migration Agency noted that the number of missing and undocumented people is likely to be much higher.

The organization, through the head of its mission in Yemen, Abdul Sattar Aisouef, appealed to donors to provide urgent additional funding to support the voluntary humanitarian return program for migrants in Yemen, noting that "without this support, thousands of migrants will continue to live in extreme hardship with limited options for safe return."

“Greater cooperation from the international community and the authorities is essential to continue implementing these life-saving interventions and prevent further loss of life,” Issawi stressed.

Every year, tens of thousands of African migrants, mostly from Ethiopia and Somalia, enter Yemen by sea to reach Saudi Arabia, fleeing conflicts or natural disasters, or seeking better living opportunities, while others who are stranded are forced to return to their countries through dangerous journeys.

Through the Voluntary Humanitarian Return Programme, IOM has helped return 4,800 migrants to their countries since the beginning of this year.