ALBAWABA- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced today, Friday, that 186 African migrants are missing after four boats capsized off the Yemeni and Djiboutian coasts last night.
In a post on the "X" platform, the organization stated that it is verifying "deeply concerning reports" about the incident, noting that "558 people have lost their lives on the migration route between the Horn of Africa and Yemen in 2024."
IOM emphasized the urgent need for "immediate action to save lives," highlighting the continued risks migrants face along this perilous sea route. "Migrants need safe alternatives and better protection—smugglers continue to gamble with lives and push people to take dangerous journeys," the organization added in another statement on X.
Yemen remains a major transit point for thousands of migrants, particularly from Ethiopia and Somalia, who attempt to cross its territory toward Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, in search of better economic opportunities.
UN reports indicate that over one million African refugees have arrived in Yemen over the past decade, despite the severe dangers they face along the migration route, as reported by Almasdar.
The latest shipwrecks serve as a grim reminder of the life-threatening risks migrants endure in their desperate search for a better future.
