Vulnerable Migrants on the Eastern Migration Route (IOM, Amnesty International, DG ECHO) (DG ECHO, IOM, Amnesty International) (ECHO Daily Flash of 6 October 2020)

The migration route from the Horn of Africa towards the Arab Peninsula (Eastern Route) is the single most important migration route in the region. Since 2017, at least 400,000 Ethiopians have crossed into the Arab Peninsula and more than 350,000 have been deported back to Ethiopia. During their journey, migrants face extreme hardship and violence, including kidnapping, torture, arbitrary detention, sexual assault and death. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the journey to Gulf nations even more dangerous. A report released by Amnesty International describes widespread abuses against Ethiopian migrants detained in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) because of COVID-19 fears. In recent days, migrants were forced off a boat by smugglers near the Djibouti coast. At least 8 migrants died and 12 are missing.