The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued a critical alert revealing that more than 20,000 journeys from Ethiopia toward Yemen have been recorded since September 10. This surge highlights the ongoing reliance on the perilous Eastern Route, a major corridor where countless individuals risk everything in search of employment and financial stability in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations.
Speaking to journalists via video link from Geneva, Alexandre Coissac, head of the IOM mission in Djibouti, described a complex logistical and humanitarian landscape. While thousands continue pushing northward toward Yemen, Djibouti is simultaneously experiencing movement in the opposite direction.
Over a recent three-week window, more than 3,700 refugees arrived in Djibouti after crossing the Red Sea to escape escalating dangers within Yemen. Additionally, 539 Ethiopian migrants made the reverse journey, arriving back from Yemen on their path home.
“Djibouti is therefore confronting movement in both directions: people fleeing Yemen are arriving as refugees, migrants continue travelling towards Yemen, and other migrants are returning,” Coissac stated.
The Eastern Route remains heavily utilized despite extraordinary hazards. Monitoring figures demonstrate that outbound movements climbed to roughly 506,600 in 2025—marking an 18% jump from the prior year—with another 50,600 movements registered through the first quarter of 2026. Data consistently shows that roughly 91% to 97% of these travelers are Ethiopian nationals, with about 95% citing acute economic hardship as the primary driver for leaving their homeland.
However, the reality on the ground exposes travelers to severe threats, including human trafficking, physical abuse by smugglers, and catastrophic maritime accidents. A stark example occurred during a tragic March 2026 shipwreck off the coast of Obock, Djibouti, which claimed at least nine lives and left dozens missing.
Furthermore, stranded populations face acute distress. Between September 20 and 30, field assessments tracked over 3,000 stranded migrants dealing with severe dehydration, exhaustion, and scarce food and water supplies. The IOM has even received harrowing reports of migrants perishing in desert areas near the Djiboutian-Ethiopian border.
Compounding the crisis is a lack of awareness among travelers regarding the volatile security conditions inside Yemen. Many push forward unaware of the intense fighting between government forces and Houthi combatants, particularly around strategic zones like the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Recent military updates indicate that Saudi-backed government forces launched a major offensive to retake the strait from Houthi control.
At the same time, renewed internal conflict across northern Ethiopia—affecting the Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions—threatens to exacerbate regional displacement and strain vulnerable communities further.
While the IOM is actively distributing emergency food, water, and facilitating assisted voluntary returns, humanitarian teams are increasingly challenged by migrants utilizing secondary, hard-to-reach routes. The IOM has called for urgent, expanded support for new arrivals and host communities in areas like Obock to manage the rapidly widening humanitarian strain.
