At Least 24 Die in Second Migrant Boat Disaster off Djibouti in Two Weeks; 20 Missing
A boat disaster off the coast of Djibouti resulted in the death of at least 24 migrants and the disappearance of 20 more.
The incident marks the second fatal maritime accident in two weeks on the Eastern Migration Route from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.
The International Organization for Migration reported that the boat, carrying over 77 migrants including children, capsized near Obock.
Thirty-three survivors are being cared for at an IOM center, while search and rescue operations are ongoing to find missing individuals.
The UN's migration agency noted an increase in the number of people returning from Yemen to Djibouti this year.
Two boats carrying Ethiopian migrants sank in the Red Sea near Djibouti within two weeks of each other, resulting in at least 76 deaths combined.
The IOM, an international organization that helps migrants, emphasized the risks migrants face using irregular routes and called for safe and legal pathways.
Since 2014, the IOM reported a total of 1,350 deaths on the Eastern Route, with at least 698 deaths documented in 2023.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that two ships carrying African migrants attempting to return from Yemen to Djibouti sank, with the agency believing that people on both vessels were trying to make the dangerous journey across the Red Sea to reach Gulf nations, escape conflict or natural disasters, or seek better economic opportunities.
The Eastern Route across the Red Sea is a common route for tens of thousands of African migrants each year, but many face harsh conditions in Yemen and are unsuccessful in their attempts to reach Djibouti.
The IOM reported that 3,682 migrants had left Yemen for Djibouti in the first part of 2024, more than double the number for the same period the previous year.