20,000 migrants cross into Djibouti from Ethiopia since Sept 10: IOM

The International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday that more than 20,000 migrant movements from Ethiopia into Djibouti have been recorded since September 10, as thousands continue to traverse the Eastern Route toward Yemen and the Gulf despite deteriorating conditions. Alexandre Coissac, the IOM chief of mission in Djibouti, told reporters in Geneva that migrants persist in traveling along the corridor, which connects the Horn of Africa with Yemen and the Gulf and is one of the "busiest and most dangerous" migration routes in the world.

Stranded along desert routes

Between September 20 and 30, observers recorded more than 3,000 stranded migrants along Djibouti's migration routes, many facing dehydration, exhaustion and critical shortages of food and water in remote desert areas. The IOM noted that travelers are increasingly using secondary routes to avoid detection, complicating efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to those in urgent need. The agency is providing emergency aid including food, water and medical support to stranded migrants while facilitating voluntary returns for those who request it.

Yemen displacement drives returns

Djibouti is simultaneously receiving people fleeing Yemen while managing the return of migrants from that country, with the IOM recording 539 Ethiopian returnees since September 10. The dual movements come as fighting intensifies between Saudi-backed government forces and Houthi rebels in Yemen, displacing more than 184,000 people since August 1 according to the latest agency data. Coissac warned that the scale and complexity of these overlapping movements are stretching existing resources and services in the small Horn of Africa nation to their limits.

Resource gaps

The agency called for increased international support to address the growing crisis, emphasizing that migrants require safety, protection and sustained humanitarian assistance. Coissac told the Geneva press briefing that without additional funding, the IOM will struggle to maintain current levels of aid to both incoming migrants and returning refugees. Fighting between Saudi-backed government forces and Houthi rebels has displaced more than 184,000 people in Yemen since August 1.