Ethiopia: More Than 20,000 Migrants Leave Ethiopia for War-Torn Yemen in Three Weeks - UN
Over 20,000 migrants have left Ethiopia for Yemen in three weeks, despite the ongoing conflict in the region. Most migrants are seeking economic opportunities in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, highlighting the persistence of the 'Eastern Route' migration corridor.
Why it matters
The data underscores the extreme risks migrants take due to economic desperation and the complex humanitarian crisis involving both Ethiopia and Yemen.
Addis Abeba - More than 20,000 journeys from Ethiopia toward Yemen have been recorded since 10 September, as migrants continue to undertake the perilous Eastern Route in search of work in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
Alexandre Coissac, head of IOM's mission in Djibouti, told journalists in Geneva by video link that the movement was taking place amid worsening security conditions in Yemen and mounting humanitarian needs along migration routes in Djibouti.
At the same time, more than 3,700 refugees have reached Djibouti over the past three weeks after crossing the Red Sea from Yemen, while another 539 Ethiopian migrants have arrived from Yemen on their way home.
"Djibouti is therefore confronting movement in both directions: people fleeing Yemen are arriving as refugees, migrants continue travelling towards Yemen, and other migrants are returning," Coissac said.
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