Latest news with #InternationalOrganizationForMigration
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemeni Forces Raid Migrant Smuggling Sites
Dozens of African migrants escaped death off Yemen's southern coast when their boat broke down at sea, as government forces raided smuggling sites in Abyan province a day after another shipwreck killed 92 people. Government sources said Yemeni fishermen rescued 250 migrants from the Horn of Africa, nearly half of them women and most of them Ethiopian, after their vessel was stranded for several days in the Gulf of Aden without food or water. Seven people died before the survivors reached Shabwa province, east of Aden. Authorities provided first aid to the migrants on arrival in Rudum district, which has become a key landing point after tighter patrols along the western Lahj coast, said the sources. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the group endured a week-long voyage from Somalia after their boat's engine failed 100 nautical miles from shore. The trip, meant to last 24 hours, stretched to seven days, relying on wind and paddling. 'These people went through a week of hell at sea, facing exploitation, fear and trauma,' said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM's head of mission in Yemen. He urged greater humanitarian action to save lives, step up search and rescue, tackle the drivers of irregular migration and protect vulnerable travelers. The rescue came as Abyan's security forces said they raided several coastal sites used by smugglers to shelter incoming migrants, following last week's disaster off the province's coast in which 92 people drowned and 23 were saved from a boat carrying about 200 passengers. The rest remain missing. The operation targeted areas in Shaqra port, including Tamhan, al-Kasara and al-Hajla, as well as a site on Ahwar's coast, under the supervision of provincial police chief Ali Nasser Bouzeid. He called for regional and international coordination to curb what he described as a security and humanitarian threat. Bouzeid warned against aiding smugglers, saying several armed men had already been arrested for protecting migrant compounds. In the Lawdar district, security forces said they detained a 'dangerous gang' involved in smuggling African migrants after a firefight in which the suspects threw grenades at police before being captured. Three vehicles were seized, and the detainees will face legal action, the statement added. The IOM said the latest shipwreck highlights the urgent need to address the dangers along the eastern migration route linking the Horn of Africa to Yemen. It called for prioritizing life-saving aid, expanding safe migration channels and improving coordinated search and rescue. The agency praised Abyan authorities' quick response and pledged to support joint efforts to identify survivors, recover bodies and assist affected families. More than 350 migrants have died or gone missing along the eastern route since the start of the year, the IOM said, warning the real toll is likely far higher. Every life lost is a stark reminder of the human cost of irregular migration, the agency said, renewing calls for stronger protection systems, effective rescue operations and accountability for smugglers and traffickers.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Washington Post
Islamic State-linked fighters displace over 46,000 people in northern Mozambique, UN says
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Attacks by insurgents in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province displaced more than 46,000 people in the space of eight days last month, the United Nations migration agency said Monday. The International Organization for Migration said nearly 60% of those forced from their homes were children. There have been no reports of deaths in the attacks.
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
UN says 68 migrants dead, dozens missing after boat sinks off Yemen
A boat capsized on Sunday in waters off Yemen's coast leaving 68 African migrants dead and 74 others missing, the United Nations' migration agency said. Advertisement The tragedy was the latest in a series of shipwrecks off Yemen that have killed hundreds of African migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in hopes of reaching the wealthy Gulf Arab countries. The vessel, with 154 Ethiopian migrants on board, sank in the Gulf of Aden off the southern Yemeni province of Abyan early Sunday, Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization for Migration in Yemen told Associated Press. He said the bodies of 54 migrants washed ashore in the district of Khanfar, and 14 others were found dead and taken to a hospital morgue in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan on Yemen's southern coast. Only 12 migrants survived the shipwreck, and the rest were missing and presumed dead, Esoev said.
CNN
7 days ago
- General
- CNN
Over 60 African migrants killed and dozens missing after boat capsizes near Yemen, says UN
The Middle East Immigration The UNFacebookTweetLink Follow A boat capsized Sunday in waters off Yemen's coast leaving 68 African migrants dead and 74 others missing, the U.N.'s migration agency said. The tragedy was the latest in a series of shipwrecks off Yemen that have killed hundreds of African migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in hopes of reaching the wealthy Gulf Arab countries. The vessel, with 154 Ethiopian migrants on board, sank in the Gulf of Aden off the southern Yemeni province of Abyan early Sunday, Abdusattor Esoev, head of the International Organization for Migration in Yemen told The Associated Press. He said the bodies of 54 migrants washed ashore in the district of Khanfar, and 14 others were found dead and taken to a hospital morgue in Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan on Yemen's southern coast. Only 12 migrants survived the shipwreck, and the rest were missing and presumed dead, Esoev said. In a statement, the Abyan security directorate described a massive search-and-rescue operation given the large number of dead and missing migrants. It said many dead bodies were found scattered across a wide area of the shore. Despite more than a decade of civil war, Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach the Gulf Arab countries for work. Migrants are taken by smugglers on often dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden. Hundreds of migrants have died or gone missing in shipwrecks off Yemen in recent months, including in March when two migrants died and 186 others were missing after four boats capsized off Yemen and Djibouti, according to the IOM. More than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024, down from 97,200 in 2023, probably because of greater patrolling of the waters, according to an IOM report in March.
Associated Press
25-07-2025
- General
- Associated Press
A Europe-bound migrant boat capsizes off the Libyan coast, leaving at least 15 people dead
CAIRO (AP) — A migrant boat capsized early Friday off the coast of Libya, leaving at least 15 Egyptians dead, according to Libyan officials. The boat was bound for Europe and was carrying dozens when it capsized around 2 a.m. near the eastern Libyan town of Tobruk, according to Marwan al-Shaeri, the media spokesperson of general administration of the coast guard in Tobruk. Al-Shaeri confirmed that all those known to have died were Egyptian nationals. The crews were able to rescue two Sudanese crewmembers, but a third is still missing. He told The Associated Press that the sea is not suitable for any sailing activity but couldn't say why the boat capsized. It was unclear how many people were still missing. Local aid group Abreen, which tracks migrant activity, said early Friday afternoon on Facebook that 10 people survived the incident. Libya is a dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Drowning incidents near the country's coast have been common. In December, at least 61 migrants, including women and children, drowned off the town of Zuwara on Libya's western coast. According to the missing migrants project run by the International Organization for Migration, at least 434 migrants have been reported dead and 611 missing off Libya in the past eight months. More than 14,100 migrants were intercepted and returned to the chaos-stricken country. Libya was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
