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About the report
The Horn of Africa and Yemen is one of the busiest and riskiest migration corridors in the world travelled by hundreds of thousands of migrants, the majority of whom travel in an irregular manner, often relying on smugglers to facilitate movement along the Eastern Corridor. This regional report provides monthly updates on the complex migratory dynamics through Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen based on diverse data sources and consultations with key informants in the four countries. Moreover, it provides information on the main protection concerns for migrants along the journey, a focus on children and information on the forced returns from Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen.
Key findings:
• Exit movements from Ethiopia (20,260) were the highest tracked since 2018, an 11% increase from the previous highest figure in March 2024.
• In April, two separate shipwrecks occurred in which 87 people making return journeys to the Horn of Africa perished near Obock, including children. The boats departed from Yemen and capsized off the coast of Djibouti due to overloading of the vessels.
• In the Ma’rib governorate of Yemen, flooding occurred in areas hosting stranded migrants, which exerted pressure on their dilapidated shelters and triggered pushed many on the move once again.
• Due to the campaign against irregular migration in the Bab-al Mandab Strait, there have been almost no migrant arrivals from Djibouti in the Lahj Governorate since October 2023.
• As it remains difficult for migrants to obtain employment on farms in Ma’rib Al Wadi, many chose to return to their home countries via the Red Sea using smugglers for the risky journey, while others were deported by boat from Yemen to the Horn of Africa.
• Over 13,000 people were forcibly returned from Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia in April, the largest number since April 2023.