
In a tragic incident off the coast of Yemen, only four survivors have been rescued from a boat that capsized on Wednesday night, according to the UN Refugee Agency. The vessel, carrying at least 45 migrants and refugees, overturned due to strong winds and overloading near Taiz province, which borders the southern end of the Red Sea. The agency confirmed that it is collaborating with partners to provide aid to the survivors but has not disclosed further details about the operation.
This disaster underscores the extreme dangers faced by migrants attempting perilous journeys between Yemen and Africa. The recent capsizing incident follows a similar tragedy last month when a boat carrying Somali and Ethiopian migrants sank in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen’s south coast. That incident resulted in the deaths of at least 56 individuals, including 31 women and six children, with 140 others reported missing.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported a significant increase in migrant arrivals from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, with figures rising from approximately 73,000 in 2022 to over 97,200 in 2023. This surge is largely attributed to ongoing political and economic instability, severe droughts, and other extreme weather events in the migrants’ home countries. Many are driven by the hope of reaching neighboring Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states but are forced to rely on smugglers who use unsafe and overcrowded vessels.
The perilous journey through Yemen adds another layer of danger, as the country has been mired in a nine-year civil war that has resulted in over 150,000 deaths and one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. According to IOM data, since 2014, at least 1,860 people have died or disappeared along the migration route between the East and the Horn of Africa and Gulf countries, including 480 who drowned.