Yemen has been suffering for eight years due to the war sparked by the Houthi militia, displacing over four million people internally. It is still considered the most critical crossing point for migrants from the Horn of Africa.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and 47 partners revealed in the Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen framework that more than one million immigrants crossed the Eastern Route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen.
The report described Yemen as "one of the busiest, most complex, and dangerous migratory routes."
The organizations stated that over the past year, the number of migrants who entered Djibouti almost doubled compared to the previous year.
"In the same year, 89 migrant deaths or disappearances were recorded along the route due to hazardous transportation, illness, harsh environmental conditions, drowning at sea, and violence. Many more deaths and disappearances go unreported."
The report stated that every year, “thousands of migrants leave their countries in the Horn of Africa and move along the Eastern route towards Gulf countries. In their migration, most migrants cross the Red Sea through Bosaso in Somalia, and Djibouti's coastal town of Obock to Yemen and further by land to Gulf countries."
IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino said that the Eastern Route was an underserved crisis easily forgotten amidst other global concerns, asserting that the migrants must receive the support and dignity they deserve.
"The Regional Migrant Response Plan was conceptualized to address the vast and complex challenges on this route and to do so in a coherent and coordinated manner," stated Vitorino.
He noted that the plan provided a flexible mechanism for all stakeholders to respond to evolving migration trends and broader humanitarian and development challenges affecting migrants, host communities, and the respective governments.
The Director noted that movement from the Horn of Africa through Yemen to reach the Gulf states is still "triggered by interconnected crises, including persistent insecurity and conflict, harsh climatic conditions, and public health emergencies, in addition to socioeconomic drivers and more traditional seasonal factors."
The organizations are appealing for $84 million to "provide humanitarian and development assistance to over 1 million migrants and the communities hosting them, many of whom are vulnerable and in need of urgent help along the Eastern Route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen."
According to the plan, the framework addressed the dire humanitarian needs and protection risks and vulnerabilities that migrants in the region face, scaled up the delivery of lifesaving and resilience-building initiatives, and pursued the implementation of long-term sustainable solutions for migrants and host communities.
It explained that funding through this appeal would address the most immediate and critical humanitarian and protection needs of migrants in vulnerable situations.
The appeal also aimed to support the migrants' voluntary return to their home countries in a safe and dignified manner and ensure that they reintegrate into their communities successfully.
It would further help stakeholders' efforts towards addressing the drivers of irregular migration, strengthen the capacity of governments in the region on migration management, and ensure coordination of efforts.
It would also enhance inter-state and inter-regional collaboration to address the national and regional dimensions of the migration linking the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
