Nairobi, Kenya - IOM and partners for the Regional Migrant Response Plan (MRP) for the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa are seeking at least $112M dollars to support over two million migrants who are in need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance. The funds will also go towards supporting communities hosting migrants. The Horn of Africa and Yemen (MRP) | Humanitarian Action 2024 appeal forms part of the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) appeal published on Monday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants, predominantly from Ethiopia and Somalia, take the perilous journey from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, known as the ‘Eastern Route,’ in the hope of reaching the Gulf States, in particular the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They seek employment and other opportunities to make a livelihood. Many are fleeing the impact of conflict, poverty, and the effects of climate change. 

According to IOM Research and Data Hub (RDH) Eastern Corridor Report, 260,000 migrants have left Ethiopia since the start of the year to October 2023. Over 92,000 migrants from the Horn of Africa arrived in Yemen over the same period, significantly surpassing the number arriving in 2022. In the Horn of Africa and Yemen, men, women, boys, and girls navigate migration amidst socio-economic challenges, climate change, conflict, and instability. The number of migrants on the Eastern and Southern routes is expected to increase in 2024. The impacts of droughts and instability in the Horn of Africa are expected to exacerbate living conditions in communities of origin and host communities, resulting in additional outward movements and heightened migrant vulnerabilities. Research conducted by MRP partners in 2023 shows the heightened needs of migrants and host communities along the Southern route, with migrants moving from the Horn of Africa to Southern Africa, warranting an expansion of the response. As such, for the first time, the MRP will include Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania to respond to the sizeable number of migrants stranded along this route. 

MRP partners are working with governments in MRP countries, which include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Yemen, to enhance child protection, counter-trafficking, mental health, and psychosocial support and improve referral systems for migrants in need. Between January and September 2023, MRP partners reached 191,673 migrants with humanitarian assistance, including lifesaving assistance, voluntary return, onward transportation, and reintegration aid.  However, a lack of funding is resulting in a deteriorating situation for migrants, especially women and unaccompanied children, on the route, persisting conflicts in the region, and climate change impacts. 

In 2024, MRP partners will target 1,4 million people, and they will require USD112M to provide for humanitarian needs, including lifesaving assistance for departing and transiting migrants, as well as migrants at destination and returnees and individual and community reintegration support, including economic empowerment, training, and education initiatives. Assistance to host communities and effective awareness-raising initiatives are also essential to streamline reintegration efforts and prevent further irregular migration. Activities contributing to Humanitarian Development, Peace Nexus (HDPN), border management, health system enhancement, policy development, and labor migration pathways will also be emphasized in 2024.

The Regional Migrant Response Plan (MRP) for the Horn of Africa and Yemen, coordinated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), consists of 48 partners, including Member States,  the Intergovernmental Authority On Development (IGAD), UN and non-UN partners.

For more information, please contact IOM Communications Officer (Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen) Eva Sibanda on esibanda@iom.int, Phone: +254795424202