At least 795 people, most of them Ethiopians, have died on the road between #Yemen and #SaudiArabia.
According to the United Nations Migration Agency, the year 2022 was the bloodiest for migrants in the Middle East and North Africa. Approximately 3,800 people died during migratory land and sea travels in the region. Migration through Yemen has been a major death trap for migrants from the Horn of Africa.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration's Missing Migrants Project, the number of migrants who died in 2022 was 11% more than in 2021, and the most since 2017.
More than 1,025 people passed away on overland migration routes, the vast majority of whom were migrants passing through Yemen. The International Organization for Migration stated in this context that "violence against migrants has increased."
According to the Missing Migrants Project, at least 795 people, mostly Ethiopians, died on the trip between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The majority of the casualties occurred in Yemen's northern province of Saada, a bastion of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Migrants from East Africa used to travel the Bab el-Mandeb, which separates Djibouti and Yemen, on small boats with the goal of crossing Yemen into neighboring Saudi Arabia or the other Arab Gulf states, generally in quest of work or family reunification.
Migration through Yemen - or to it - from the Horn of Africa has been a phenomenon for decades, and it has recently increased due to political and economic instability in the Horn of Africa, not to mention the drought and the effects of climate change on the livelihoods of people in Somalia and other neighboring countries.
Yemen lacks sufficient capacity to deal with waves of immigrants as a result of Yemen's political and economic challenges. Nonetheless, immigrants continue to see Yemen as an appealing choice, whether for transit to the Arab Gulf states or for permanent residence in sectors such as agriculture and service. as well as hospitality.
It is believed that migrant protection necessitates international cooperation and a comprehensive approach, beginning with addressing the causes of migration in countries of origin and strengthening and building transit countries' capacity to protect migrants and refugees, such as Yemen.