Nairobi – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing for USD 44 million from the international community to provide life-saving assistance to thousands of migrants from the East and Horn of Africa and Yemen. 

On 3 February 2022, IOM, governments in the Horn of Africa and Yemen, and 40 humanitarian and development organizations launched the 2022 Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen. IOM’s subsequently published Crisis Response Plan breaks down the life-saving humanitarian and protection interventions the Organization hopes to deliver this year to more than 364,000 migrants and host communities along what is known as the Eastern Route.

Every year, tens of thousands of migrants in the region leave countries like Ethiopia, Somalia and others in search of work to escape poverty, the effects of climate change, conflict and discrimination. Many hope to find job opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They take dangerous journeys through the Horn of Africa, across the Gulf of Aden through conflict-affected Yemen where they face life-threatening situations and are at grave risk of exploitation.

The continued impact of COVID-19 and stricter controls along the border of Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the protracted conflict, and widespread economic challenges have led to an estimated 42,000 migrants being stranded along the Eastern Route. Most of these migrants are living in dire conditions with extremely limited or no access to essential services, with few options available to continue their journeys or to return home. Many are held by smugglers for extended periods with significant protection risks and threats to their lives, safety, and dignity. 

In 2021, IOM’s Missing Migrants Project recorded 109 migrant deaths and disappearances in the region, mostly Ethiopian nationals who drowned while attempting to cross the Gulf Aden. Others died in the Djiboutian desert from harsh environmental conditions resulting in dehydration and starvation.

Of those who survive the journey between the Horn of Africa and the Gulf, tens of thousands of migrants inevitably return to their country of origin. Reasons for return are manifold but tend to be either due to a reconsideration of migration while in transit, or due to forced removal via deportation following detention in countries of transit or destination. For example, around 1,900 migrants opted for voluntary humanitarian return from Yemen in 2021, largely due to the extreme risks they were exposed to during their journey. During the same period, 80,000 people who had migrated to Saudi Arabia were forcibly returned to Ethiopia. 

Last year, IOM reached over 230,000 of the most vulnerable migrants and host communities along the Eastern Route with specialized assistance through the Migrant Response Plan. However, the Plan was underfunded at 40 per cent while the needs continue to increase. 

“Without adequate funding in 2022, IOM will not be able to continue providing lifesaving and protection assistance, including safe, voluntary humanitarian return and dignified return solutions for the stranded migrants in Yemen, Djibouti and Somalia, and those facing forced returns from Saudi Arabia,” said Memory Mwale, Regional Migrant Response Plan Coordinator for IOM Regional Office, East and Horn of Africa.

Read the full IOM appeal online here.
IOM’s Global Crisis Response Platform provides an overview of IOM’s plans and funding requirements to respond to the evolving needs and aspirations of those impacted by, or at risk of, crisis and displacement in 2022 and beyond. The Platform is regularly updated as crises evolve, and new situations emerge.  
For more information, please contact Amber Christino, Media and Communications Officer at IOM Regional Office for East and Horn of Africa, Email: achristino@iom.int