Latest news with #CelestineFrantz
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Rescue operation launched after eight migrants die off coast of Djibouti, IOM says
The UN migration agency said on Wednesday that eight migrants died and 22 others are missing after they were forced off a boat near the coast of Djibouti. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a statement the migrants were part of a group of 150 who were forced by smugglers to disembark a boat and swim to shore on 5 June. The migrants were found in the desert by IOM patrol teams and taken to a migrant response centre. The IOM and authorities in Djibouti are continuing with a search and rescue operation to find the missing migrants. "Every life lost at sea is a tragedy that should never happen," Celestine Frantz, the IOM Regional Director for the East, Horn and Southern Africa, said. Frantz said that the migrants were "forced into impossible choices by smugglers who show no regard for human life." Thousands of migrants from African, Middle Eastern and South Asian countries seeking a better life in Europe attempt irregular migration every year. People smugglers pack vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe. Most of the vessels get migrants across the Red Sea to Gulf countries before they proceed further to European nations. Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach Gulf countries for work, with hundreds of thousands attempting the route each year. However Frontex, the EU's external border protection agency, reported a 31% drop in illegal migrant crossings in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period one year ago. Related UK migrant crossings hit yearly high as pressure mounts on Labour government Seven dead as migrant boat capsizes off Canary Islands Crossings fell to nearly 33,600 with a decline reported across every single route leading to Europe. A significant drop, around 30%, was observed on the Western African route, which connects Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia and Western Sahara to Spain's Canary Islands. Similarly, a 29% fall was reported in crossings along the Eastern Mediterranean route, mostly leading to Cyprus, Greece and Bulgaria from Afghanistan, Sudan and Egypt. The third sharpest fall, -26%, was on the Central Mediterranean route, from western and central Africa through Niger and Libya across the Central Mediterranean towards Europe, in particular Italy.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Rescue operation launched after 8 refugees die off Djibouti coast
ADDIS ABABA: At least eight people died and 22 were missing after smugglers attacked a migrant boat and forced them to disembark, the UN's migration agency said on Wednesday. The boat was carrying around 150 passengers when it was stopped by smugglers last Thursday, forcing them to disembark 'far from the coast.' 'The passengers were left to swim for their lives in open water,' the International Organization for Migration said in a statement. The IOM and authorities in Djibouti are continuing with a search and rescue operation to find the missing migrants. It was not clear why the smugglers forced the group to disembark. Each year, thousands of African migrants brave the 'Eastern Route' across the Red Sea from Djibouti to Yemen in the hope of eventually reaching oil-rich Gulf countries. Last year, the IOM recorded at least 558 deaths on the route, with 462 resulting from shipwrecks. The IOM said at least five bodies from last week's incident had been found washed up on the Djibouti coast. 'These young people were forced into impossible choices by smugglers who show no regard for human life,' Celestine Frantz, IOM Regional Director for the East, Horn and Southern Africa, said. 'Every life lost at sea is a tragedy that should never happen,' she added. According to IOM, 2024 'was marked by six major shipwrecks caused by the use of unseaworthy boats, overcrowding of vessels, navigating in poor maritime conditions, and smugglers forcing people to disembark at sea.' Once in Yemen, migrants often face other threats to their safety.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
UN launches a rescue operation after 8 migrants die off Djiboutian coast
The UN migration agency said Wednesday that eight migrants died and 22 others were missing after they were forced off a boat near the Djiboutian coast. The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, in a statement said the migrants were part of a group of 150 others who were forced by smugglers to disembark a boat and swim to shore on June 5. The migrants were found in the desert by IOM patrol teams and taken to a migrant response center. The IOM and authorities in Djibouti are continuing with a search and rescue operation to find the missing migrants. 'Every life lost at sea is a tragedy that should never happen,' said Celestine Frantz, IOM Regional Director for the East, Horn and Southern Africa. Frantz said that the migrants were 'forced into impossible choices by smugglers who show no regard for human life.' Thousands of migrants from African, Middle Eastern and South Asian countries seeking a better life in Europe attempt irregular migration every year. Smugglers pack vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe. Most of the vessels get migrants across the Red Sea to Gulf countries before they proceed further to European nations. Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach Gulf countries for work, with hundreds of thousands attempting the route each year.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
UN launches a rescue operation after 8 migrants die off Djiboutian coast
The UN migration agency said Wednesday that eight migrants died and 22 others were missing after they were forced off a boat near the Djiboutian coast. The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, in a statement said the migrants were part of a group of 150 others who were forced by smugglers to disembark a boat and swim to shore on June 5. The migrants were found in the desert by IOM patrol teams and taken to a migrant response center. The IOM and authorities in Djibouti are continuing with a search and rescue operation to find the missing migrants. 'Every life lost at sea is a tragedy that should never happen,' said Celestine Frantz, IOM Regional Director for the East, Horn and Southern Africa. Frantz said that the migrants were 'forced into impossible choices by smugglers who show no regard for human life.' Thousands of migrants from African, Middle Eastern and South Asian countries seeking a better life in Europe attempt irregular migration every year. Smugglers pack vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe. Most of the vessels get migrants across the Red Sea to Gulf countries before they proceed further to European nations. Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach Gulf countries for work, with hundreds of thousands attempting the route each year.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
UN launches rescue operation after eight migrants die off Djibouti
The UN migration agency said on Wednesday that eight migrants died and 22 others are missing after they were forced off a boat near the coast of Djibouti. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a statement the migrants were part of a group of 150 who were forced by smugglers to disembark a boat and swim to shore on 5 June. The migrants were found in the desert by IOM patrol teams and taken to a migrant response centre. The IOM and authorities in Djibouti are continuing with a search and rescue operation to find the missing migrants. "Every life lost at sea is a tragedy that should never happen," Celestine Frantz, the IOM Regional Director for the East, Horn and Southern Africa, said. Frantz said that the migrants were "forced into impossible choices by smugglers who show no regard for human life." Thousands of migrants from African, Middle Eastern and South Asian countries seeking a better life in Europe attempt irregular migration every year. People smugglers pack vessels full of desperate people willing to risk their lives to reach continental Europe. Most of the vessels get migrants across the Red Sea to Gulf countries before they proceed further to European nations. Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach Gulf countries for work, with hundreds of thousands attempting the route each year. However Frontex, the EU's external border protection agency, reported a 31% drop in illegal migrant crossings in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period one year ago. Crossings fell to nearly 33,600 with a decline reported across every single route leading to Europe. A significant drop, around 30%, was observed on the Western African route, which connects Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia and Western Sahara to Spain's Canary Islands. Similarly, a 29% fall was reported in crossings along the Eastern Mediterranean route, mostly leading to Cyprus, Greece and Bulgaria from Afghanistan, Sudan and Egypt. The third sharpest fall, -26%, was on the Central Mediterranean route, from western and central Africa through Niger and Libya across the Central Mediterranean towards Europe, in particular Italy.
