The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported a surge in the movement of migrants along the perilous Eastern Route linking the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.
IOM, in a report issued on Tuesday, said despite a rise in deaths and disappearances migrant movements surged sharply in the first half of 2025.
According to the report, between January and June 2025, outgoing movements increased by one-third (+34 percent), reaching 238,000 compared to 178,300 in the same period in 2024.
At least 348 migrants were reported dead or missing during the same period, up from 310 in 2024. The second quarter alone accounted for 78 fatalities and disappearances, most occurring in Djibouti’s Obock desert, where extreme heat and forced disembarkation at sea took a heavy toll. Additional incidents included drowning, shootings by smugglers in Yemen, and robberies in northern Somalia.
Humanitarian agencies warn that the surge in movements—despite the rising risks—underscores the dire conditions at home and the limited options available to migrants. With forced returns from Saudi Arabia also increasing, returnees are being sent back to conflict-affected regions of Amhara, Tigray, and Oromia, compounding already fragile humanitarian conditions.
The report noted women and girls remain particularly exposed, with their numbers rising sharply; female transit through Djibouti more than doubled compared to last year.
In the first half of 2025 alone, 55,700 Ethiopians were forcibly returned from Saudi Arabia, the majority to Amhara, Tigray, and Oromia. Humanitarian actors caution that migrants remain trapped between dangerous journeys abroad and precarious conditions at home.
Although movements declined moderately in the second quarter due to Ramadan, intensified enforcement operations, and harsh weather, IOM warns that the pace of migration is set to surpass last year’s levels if trends continue.
MG/abj/APA