Migrant Deaths Surge on Perilous Horn of Africa Route
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that migrant movements increased sharply in the first half of 2025 despite a rise in deaths and disappearances along the perilous Eastern Route linking the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.
In Djibouti, the most casualties have been reported in the Obock desert as a result of extreme heat and forced disembarkation. Women and girls faced heightened risks, with their numbers more than doubling in Djibouti.
The report comes in the wake of a tragic incident in which more than 60 migrants drowned when a boat carrying about 157 people capsized off the coast of Yemen during rough weather. Ethiopian officials have repeatedly warned that irregular migration and human trafficking are devastating lives while posing a growing threat to national security.
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Ethiopia:
Despite Rising Death Toll, Eastern Route Sees Sharp Rise in Migrant Movements
Addis Standard, 2 September 2025
Despite a rise in deaths and disappearances along the perilous Eastern Route linking the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, migrant movements surged sharply in the first half… Read more »
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Somalia:
Young Somali Refugees Targeted By Libyan-Based Traffickers
ISS, 3 September 2025
Trans-Saharan syndicates lure youngsters from Kenya's Dadaab camps, promising a better life in Europe. Read more »
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Ethiopia:
From Survivors to Leaders: Ethiopian Women Returnees Redefining Migration Narrative
Addis Standard, 2 September 2025
In early August 2025, a boat carrying African migrants to Yemen capsized off the coast of Shuqrah in Yemen's Abyan Governorate, killing 68 of some 154 migrants on board, including… Read more »
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Sudan:
IOM - 'More Than Two Million Displaced Sudanese Returned in Nine Months
Dabanga, 26 August 2025
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that approximately 2,004,302 returnees were registered in 1,611 locations across 39 localities in seven states of Sudan… Read more »
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Africa:
76 Africans Dead, Dozens Missing After Migrant Boat Sinks Off Yemen
Daily Trust, 5 August 2025
At least 76 people were killed and dozens are missing after a boat carrying mostly Ethiopian migrants sank off Yemen, in the latest tragedy on the perilous sea route, officials… Read more »
InFocus
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Two boats carrying mostly Somali nationals capsized off the coast of Madagascar, killing more than 20 people. It is believed that the engines failed.
Somalia's Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi has said 46 people were rescued from the boats reportedly carrying 70 passengers. Survivors have said they were trying to reach the French island of Mayotte, a popular but dangerous route for migrants seeking asylum.
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Thirteen Ethiopian migrants are reported dead after their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen. The International Organization for Migration said the cause of the incident is still unknown, and that search efforts are ongoing for the missing passengers.
Tha incident is the latest tragedy involving Ethiopian migrants. A shipwreck in July off Yemen's coast resulted in the deaths of 12 Ethiopians, while another
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About 25 people drowned after the latest boat accident off the coast of Mauritania, where migrants have been turning up in hopes of reaching Europe. The International Organization for Migration said the Mauritanian coast guard rescued 120 people from a boat with about 300 on board.
The migrants are said to have "boarded a pirogue in The Gambia and spent seven days at sea before the boat capsized near Nouakchott" earlier in the week. Among the survivors were unaccompanied
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At least sixteen people are reported dead after the boat they were traveling on from Yemen capsized off the coast of Djibouti. The boat had 77 migrants on board including chldren, according to the International Organization for Migration. Dozens more are missing.
The IOM says every year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa, particularly Ethiopia and Somalia, leave the continent via Djibouti in the hope of finding work in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nations.
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Migrants often cross the Libyan desert to reach smuggling routes across the Mediterranean Sea.
