Photo Credit: AFP
Tragedy struck off the coast of Djibouti, claiming the lives of at least 21 people in a fatal migrant boat disaster. This marks the second such disaster in two weeks off the Horn of Africa nation, which is located on the perilous Eastern Migration Route from Africa to the Middle East. The vessel was carrying mainly Ethiopian migrants from Yemen when it went down on Monday night off Godoria in northeastern Djibouti.
The International Organization for Migration's Chief of Mission in Djibouti, Tanja Pacifico, stated that 21 bodies had been recovered, while 23 people were still missing. Another 33 people managed to survive the disaster. The fatalities, including children and a baby, have sparked deep sorrow and concern.
Ethiopia's ambassador to Djibouti, Berhanu Tsegaye, expressed his concern over the succession of horrific disasters and emphasized the importance of taking legal measures against illegal human smugglers who put the lives of migrants at risk.
Each year, tens of thousands of African migrants brave the Eastern Route across the Red Sea and through Yemen to try to reach oil-rich Saudi Arabia, escaping conflict or natural disaster or seeking better economic opportunities. However, on their journeys, many face life-threatening dangers such as starvation, health risks, and exploitation at the hands of human traffickers and other criminals.
According to the IOM, Ethiopians make up 79 percent of the roughly 100,000 migrants who arrived in Yemen last year from Djibouti or Somalia, while the remainder are Somalis. The IOM's data from 2023 shows that the number of people trying to cross is on the rise.Africa's second most populous country, Ethiopia, is blighted by various conflicts, and several regions have suffered from severe drought in recent years. More than 15 percent of its 120 million inhabitants depend on food aid hence the reason for more deaths at sea in search of greener pastures.
In February, the IOM reported that at least 698 people, including women and children, had died crossing the Gulf of Aden from Djibouti to Yemen last year, according to its Missing Migrants Project. In August, Human Rights Watch accused Saudi border guards of killing "at least hundreds" of Ethiopians trying to cross into the Gulf kingdom from Yemen between March 2022 and June 2023, using explosive weapons in some cases. Riyadh dismissed the group's findings as "unfounded and not based on reliable sources."
The incident highlights the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address the root causes of migration, including poverty and conflict, and to provide safe and legal pathways for migrants to reach their destinations.
