GENEVA, Switzerland, October 3, 2024 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- At least 45 people have tragically died and 134 are still missing after being forced by smugglers to leave their boats in the open sea. occurred off the coast of Obock, near Godoria, involving two boats carrying migrants returning from Yemen.
According to survivors, the first boat carried 100 migrants and the second 210, all returning to Djibouti from Yemen. The migrants were forced by Yemeni smugglers who led the boats to disembark in the open sea and swim to shore. From the first boat, a woman drowned, but her 4-month-old baby survived, along with 98 other people.
The International Organization for Migration in Djibouti is strengthening the state’s emergency services in search and rescue operations for missing people. So far, 32 people have been rescued and are now receiving medical and psychosocial support. The Djiboutian coast guard is continuing its search and rescue operations to locate the missing migrants.
With this incident, 2024 marks the deadliest year for migrant sea crossings between the East Horn of Africa and Yemen. The incident is the second deadliest on the Eastern Route, after the one which claimed the lives of 196 people in June 2024, which marks a worrying trend this year.
IOM, in coordination with the Government of Djibouti, is providing humanitarian assistance and intervening to protect victims by providing medical assistance, mental health services and psychosocial support, and providing safe shelter for survivors.
Before this incident, the IOM had recorded 124 deaths in 2024 off the coast of Djibouti. Many migrants use this route to leave and return to their home countries, particularly Ethiopians and Somalis, who hope to find better opportunities in Gulf countries. Thousands of people remain stranded along this route in extremely difficult conditions and face various forms of violence, exploitation and abuse. These findings highlight the urgent need for strong measures to protect migrants and prevent future loss of life along this route.
Since 2014, the Missing Migrants Project IOM has recorded more than 1,300 cases of migrant deaths by drowning on the Eastern Route, including 337 between January and August 2024.
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The IOM Missing Migrants Project is the only open-access database that records migrant deaths and disappearances worldwide and is also the only indicator (10.7.3) to measure the safety of migrants. migration in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Click here to support the project.
To support the Djibouti Coast Guard in its search and rescue operations, and with funding from the Japanese government, IOM Djibouti is implementing a project to optimize the search and rescue operations of the Djibouti Coast Guard for assist migrants in distress, in accordance with international rescue laws and standards.
In partnership with 48 other humanitarian organizations, development organizations and governments, IOM coordinates the Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa, Yemen and Southern Africa (MRP) to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of migrants along the Eastern Route. Although the MRP partners have launched an appeal for funding of $112 millionthis appeal remains largely underfunded.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) pour l’OIM.
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For more information, please contact:
In Djibouti: Eva Sibanda, [email protected], and Kaousar Saad [email protected]
In Nairobi: Yvonne Ndege, [email protected]
In Geneva: Kennedy Okoth, [email protected]
Source : African Media Agency (AMA)
2024-10-03 09:03:57
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