In brief
At least two fatalities and 186 missing persons have emerged from a tragic overnight capsizing of four migrant vessels off the coasts of Yemen and Djibouti, according to a report by the United Nations migration agency.
In the early hours of Thursday, two boats sinking off Yemen resulted in 181 migrants and five Yemeni crew members unaccounted for, while the bodies of two migrants have been recovered from another vessel that capsized near Djibouti. Apparently driven by severe winds, the boats were part of a treacherous route used by migrants desperate to reach Gulf countries in search of work.Tamim Eleian, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (I.O.M.), reported that two crew members were rescued from the Yemen incident. In contrast, the capsizing in Djibouti allowed for all others on board to be saved. The first of the two vessels that sank in Yemeni waters was transporting 31 Ethiopian migrants, while the second was carrying as many as 150, highlighting the perilous nature of their journey.Over the years, Yemen has become a critical juncture for migrants primarily hailing from the Horn of Africa. They often employ smugglers, resulting in dangerous, cramped sea expeditions across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden. Despite significant risks, the influx of migrants surged to 97,200 in 2023—a threefold increase from 2021. However, numbers declined to just under 61,000 in 2024, likely due to enhanced maritime enforcement.The tragedy underlines a grim reality: over the past decade, at least 2,082 migrants have gone missing along this route, with 693 confirmed drowned. Currently, an estimated 380,000 migrants remain trapped in Yemen amid ongoing conflict and instability.
