Djibouti City, Djibouti - Between January and June 2023, Djibouti documented the deaths of 241 migrants, primarily attributed to dehydration, starvation, and road accidents. These migrants, seeking a better life in the Arabian Peninsula via irregular pathways along the Eastern Route, face grave protection risks, severe weather conditions, shipwrecks, and the peril of dehydration, often culminating in tragic fatalities. Consequently, numerous deceased bodies are discovered along migratory routes and the shores of Djibouti. In 2021, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provided support to regional authorities in establishing a sub-committee dedicated to dead body management.

In a continued effort to enhance the capabilities of first-line responders, IOM Djibouti collaborated with the Ministry of Health, specifically the Djibouti National Institute of Public Health (INSPD), and the ICRC, to organize a comprehensive three-day training program starting on 2 February 2024. Field agents from the Ministry of Health, National Police, Civil Protection, and Coast Guard have expanded their knowledge on international health regulations and dead body management. The training combined theoretical knowledge with practical skills, encompassed health and legal dimensions of dead body management, as well as Search and Rescue operations for individuals in distress at sea.

Moussa Aouled Bouh, Hygiene Agent for the Ministry of Health since 2017, explained: “I now understand more in details why we have to follow strictly the procedures and I'm going to be even more careful, as they are crucial not only to protect myself but also to protect the rest of the community.”

This training stems from a recommendation put forth in August 2023 when IOM Djibouti hosted the first regional workshop on Dead Body Management and Missing Migrants in the region. Tragically, less than a week prior, 33 migrants lost their lives in a shipwreck off the coast of Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden, underscoring the urgent need for reinforced capacities in Djibouti. Since 2014, the Missing Migrants Project (MMP) reports that at least 1,956 migrants have perished in shipwrecks during the sea crossing between the Horn of Africa and Yemen.

The Chief of Mission of IOM Djbouti, Tanja Pacifico says: “We commend the courageous and vital efforts of the men and women working on the front lines to provide a dignified burial for those who have lost their lives while migrating.”

This training forms an integral part of the project “Sustainable Solutions for the Most Vulnerable Host Populations, Refugees, and Migrants” funded by the European Union and the Phase II of the African Regional Migration Programme (ARMP), funded by the US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Both initiatives, implemented by IOM, aim to support the government of the Republic of Djibouti in managing migration by fostering coordination, partnership, and enhancing the capacity of relevant institutions.

For more information, please contact Laetitia Romain, IOM Djibouti Communications Officer (lromain@iom.int)