Yemen coastline sees spike in Africa to Gulf migration
Migrants from Ethiopia stranded in Yemen (via Reuters)
According to data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Yemeni coastline saw a spike in illegal migrants originating from Africa in the last three months of 2025, reported Asharq Al-Awsat on February 4th.
The report showed findings from October 1st to December 31st, 2025, with a total of 62,779 movements documented. About 57,340 migrants arrived in Yemen, while 5,439 left. The majority of migrants who arrived in Yemen wanted to go to Gulf countries, while only 15% said that their destination was Yemen.
Men aged 18 or older accounted for 77% of the migrants. The arriving migrants were composed of 97% Ethiopian nationals, 3% Somali nationals, and other nationalities representing less than 1%.
The key entry points for migrants were documented as Taiz, Abyan, and Shabwah governorates, with arrivals peaking at over 2,000 per week overall, though the highest number was recorded in December.
The migrants arriving in Yemen often come from the Horn of Africa, particularly from Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti. A region where poverty, conflict, and instability drive people to seek safety and opportunity elsewhere, particularly in the hopes of reaching Gulf nations.
Yemen is a crucial transit destination, as well as a return point for vulnerable migrants. Many of these migrants — including children, pregnant women, and unaccompanied minors — face serious risks when making the dangerous sea journey back to the Horn of Africa, after failing to reach the Gulf.
During the monitoring period, 5,439 migrants left Yemen. Almost 96% of the migrants returned to the Horn of Africa after failing to reach their intended destinations, while a few went to Oman.
The migration route to Yemen is considered very dangerous, with many incidents across Yemen’s coast resulting in the death of migrants. The IOM documented 558 deaths in 2024, including 462 from shipwrecks. In August 2025, a migrant boat carrying 157 people sank off Yemen’s coast, resulting in the deaths of 100 people.
The incident led experts and officials to push for the need for an international security initiative in the Red Sea that will curb human trafficking, as many migrants are subject to smuggling and banditry as well.
This also highlights a broader issue of migration, in which economic hardship, instability, and limited legal routes push people into risky journeys across multiple regions.
The lack of interest by the international community in the dangers of migration puts migrants at risk, with no systemic process in place to ensure their rights and safe return.
Asharq Al-Awsat, RFI, The National, Maghrebi.org
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