Attachments
Regional mixed migration summary for April 2016 covering mixed migration events, trends and data for Djibouti, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Puntland, Somalia, Somaliland and Yemen.
Terminology: Throughout this report the term migrant/refugee is used to cover all those involved in the mixed migration flows (including asylum seekers, trafficked persons, smuggled economic migrants, refugees). If the caseload mentioned refers only to refugees or asylum seekers or trafficked persons it will be clearly stated.
Yemen
The conflict in Yemen entered its twelfth month with escalation of shelling and fighting putting civilians at risk. As previously reported, due to the conflict, monitoring and data collection activities along the Red Sea and Arabian sea coasts continued to be affected, with a majority of monitoring exercises suspended. The data presented in this report on arrivals in Yemen is therefore not conclusive of the actual number of arrivals during this period.
Yemeni peace talks postponed indefinitely: On the 1st May 2016, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen announced a suspension of the latest round of peace talks between the government and Houthi rebels, following a government pull-out of its participation in the negotiations. The Special Envoy noted that he will continue to investigate and halt all breaches of the cessation of hostilities agreement that was signed on 10th April.
Internal displacement: At the end of April 2016, there were more than 2.75 million persons internally displaced within Yemen.
Continued arrivals from the Horn of Africa: A total of 11,245 migrants and asylum seekers (91% Ethiopians and 9% Somalis) (85% male, 15% female) arrived from the Horn of Africa to Yemen via the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden aboard 112 boats in April 2016. This represents an 8% increase in arrivals recorded in March 2016.
The proportion of Ethiopian arrivals was particularly high in April. This was particularly evident along the Red Sea route where Ethiopian nationals accounted for 98% of crossings.
An estimated number of 1,918 (1,884 Ethiopians and 34 Somalis) migrants and asylum seekers were recorded to have arrived on the Red Sea coast of Yemen in April 2016, a 45% increase on arrivals in March. Consistent with reports in March, new arrivals reported a tightening of the Djiboutian border at crossing points from Ethiopia and a higher presence of Djiboutian coast guards. In one incident two smuggling boats reportedly carrying more than 100 migrants each were intercepted by Djiboutian coast guards and passengers deported back to Ethiopia. The migrants arrived aboard 24 boats which departed from Obock, Djibouti landing in various towns in Ta’iz and Lahj governorates and in Al-Hodeida port. Due to the reduction of monitoring missions along Yemen’s coast, it is likely that actual number of arrivals from the Horn of Africa to Yemen was higher during the period.
Ethiopian migrants continued to report higher than usual smuggling fees for the journey from Ethiopia to Yemen.
On average they spent between 8,000-10,000 Ethiopian Birr (approx. USD 365-455). Somalis on the move paid USD 50 to cross the Djibouti border via Loya-Ade and an additional USD 150 to Djiboutian brokers who facilitated the journey through Djibouti and onwards to Yemen. A small group of Somalis who travelled from Mogadishu to Berbera paid USD 200 to board a commercial boat heading to Hodeida in North Yemen. 98% of Ethiopian arrivals cited difficult living conditions, drought and limited work opportunities as the main reasons for their migration. Somali nationals cited poverty, instability and a lack of work opportunities for their migration. All Ethiopian economic migrants and a number of Somali migrants indicated an intention to travel onwards to Saudi Arabia to look for work.
An additional 9,327 migrants and asylum seekers (8,334 Ethiopians, 982 Somalis and 1 Djiboutian) arrived on Arabian Sea coasts of Yemen aboard 88 boats in April 2016. This is almost on par with arrivals recorded in March 2016.
Migrant vulnerability: Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees arriving in Yemen on the Red Sea coasts continued to report witnessing or being victim to numerous violations in April. New arrivals specifically reported numerous instances of rape of Ethiopian female migrants by smugglers in Obock. Other arrivals reported on the drowning of April 2016 2 Ethiopian migrants following a forced disembarkation of migrants in deep water as smugglers tried to avoid military patrols on the coast.
New migration route through Yemen: Reports received by RMMS suggest the emergence of a new smuggling route to Europe that passes through Yemen. The passage is predominantly used by Somali youth, who depart from remote locations on the Puntland coast and travel to Yemen by sea. Once in Yemen smuggling networks transport the arrivals across land to western coasts in Yemen, from where they depart by sea towards Sudan and join the smuggling route via Sudan and Libya across the Mediterranean to Europe. The numbers using this route are currently unknown, but estimates suggest as many as 400-900 people month may be moving in this way.
More information on the emergence of this route will be included in an upcoming RMMS Briefing Paper.
Refugees in Yemen: As of 31st March 2016, there were 267,874 refugees in Yemen (253,632 Somali, 5,734 Ethiopian, 3,406 Iraqi, 3,064 Syrian, 1,358 Eritrean and 680 persons of various nationalities). According to UNHCR most of them live in urban centres such as Sana’a and Aden, while some 18,000 live in Kharaz refugee camp.
Somali refugees continue to receive prima facie refugee status recognition The security situation has compelled a number of urban refugees to relocate to rural areas for safety reasons.
Departures from Yemen: As of 30th April 2016, the number of people fleeing Yemen to the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan) had totalled 86,738 persons (35,562 in Djibouti, 32,120 in Somalia, 12,768 in Ethiopia, and 6,288 in Sudan). Yemenis and Somalis represent the largest proportion of people moving out of Yemen, accounting for 30% and 35% of movements respectively. Djibouti remained as the primary destination for Yemeni nationals, with 75% of those moving opting to travel to Djibouti.
The latest statistics and overview of the displacement situation arising out of the Yemen crisis can be found on the UNHCR data sharing and information portal.