The United Nations migration agency has confirmed that at least 38 migrants and refugees—including children—died after their boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti. The bodies of the deceased have been found.
At least six more people are reported missing and assumed dead, according to a post on X by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday. Local authorities and IOM representatives are providing assistance to 22 survivors in the East African nation.
When did this happen?
The disaster happened on Monday and involved a boat that was transporting 60 Ethiopian migrants from Djibouti to Yemen, according to the Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti.
In a desperate attempt to save their families from abject poverty, hundreds of thousands of African migrants risk their lives every year to travel to Saudi Arabia via the dangerous “Eastern Route,” which crosses the Red Sea and passes through war-torn Yemen.
Djibouti is the main transit country
The primary country of transit for those seeking employment in the Gulf from countries in the Horn of Africa, such as Ethiopia and Somalia, is Djibouti.
Conflict, insecurity, and climate change are the main driving forces behind individuals attempting the journey, according to the IOM.
For migrants who are trafficked, the path is “extremely dangerous” since they run the risk of being kidnapped, arbitrarily arrested, and coerced into joining rebel groups, especially in Yemen.