New York - Sanaa: Europe and the Arabs
At least 49 migrants have died - including 31 women and six children - after their boat tragically capsized off the coast of Yemen, the International Organization for Migration said, while the search continues for 140 others still missing, “with bodies continuing to wash ashore in... different sites. According to what was stated in the United Nations daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received this morning
The boat carrying 260 Somali and Ethiopian migrants had set off from Bosaso, Somalia, on Sunday and capsized on Monday near Al-Gharif point in Shabwa Governorate. Expressing his condolences to the families of the victims, the organization’s spokesman, Muhammad Ali Abu Najila, said that this tragedy is “another reminder of the urgent need to work together to confront urgent migration challenges and ensure the safety and security of migrants along migration routes.” He stressed the organization's commitment to supporting survivors and improving search and rescue efforts in the region.
Two IOM mobile medical teams provided immediate assistance to the 71 survivors, including six children, eight of whom were referred to hospital.
Search and rescue operations are continuing despite significant challenges resulting from a shortage of operational patrol boats, which are further complicated by the recent conflict. The organization said local community members and fishermen played a crucial role in the aftermath of the disaster by assisting in recovery efforts and helping to bury the dead in the Ain Bambad cemetery.
This tragedy comes against the backdrop of two separate shipwrecks on the same route along the coast of Djibouti, resulting in the deaths of at least 62 migrants. The International Organization for Migration said the recent rise in the number of migrants from the Horn of Africa traveling to Yemen is due to political and economic instability, coupled with severe drought and other extreme weather events.
The route between the eastern Horn of Africa and Yemen is one of the busiest and most dangerous mixed migration routes in the world, frequented by hundreds of thousands of migrants. The majority of them make irregular journeys relying on smugglers, exposing them to increased risks, including human trafficking.
Despite the continuing conflict in Yemen, thousands of migrants continue to cross Yemen in the hope of reaching Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. In 2023, the International Organization for Migration's Displacement Tracking Matrix observed the arrival of more than 97,200 migrants in Yemen, a significant increase from the previous year when the number reached approximately 73,000 migrants.