More and more Ethiopians are risking their lives at sea in attempts to reach Yemen
Posted: 10 Aug 2025, 22:30
More and more Ethiopians are risking their lives at sea in attempts to reach Yemen
On August 3, at least 90 migrants died when their boat sank in the Gulf of Aden. All of them hailed from Ethiopia's Tigray region, which has been plagued by ongoing political instability after two years of civil war.
It was the deadliest boat accident on the migration path known as the "Eastern Route" in the past five years. On Sunday, August 3, at least 90 people drowned off the coast of Yemen, near the town of Shoqra. According to Abdusattor Esoev, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Chief of Mission in Yemen, 154 people were aboard a wooden boat when it capsized in the Gulf of Aden. The boat was overloaded and sailing in rough seas, and though 12 migrants – all men – survived, around 50 other people were still missing. All of them hailed from Ethiopia.
Sinkings along this route, one of the "one of the world's most dangerous migration corridors," according to the IOM, are not uncommon. In March, four migrant boats sank in the area, resulting in a grim toll of 180 missing individuals. Moreover, these figures do not include other damage they can suffer at sea: On Wednesday, at least seven Ethiopians died from thirst and hunger, and several others went missing after a boat traveling from Somalia
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-afri ... 0_124.html
On August 3, at least 90 migrants died when their boat sank in the Gulf of Aden. All of them hailed from Ethiopia's Tigray region, which has been plagued by ongoing political instability after two years of civil war.
It was the deadliest boat accident on the migration path known as the "Eastern Route" in the past five years. On Sunday, August 3, at least 90 people drowned off the coast of Yemen, near the town of Shoqra. According to Abdusattor Esoev, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Chief of Mission in Yemen, 154 people were aboard a wooden boat when it capsized in the Gulf of Aden. The boat was overloaded and sailing in rough seas, and though 12 migrants – all men – survived, around 50 other people were still missing. All of them hailed from Ethiopia.
Sinkings along this route, one of the "one of the world's most dangerous migration corridors," according to the IOM, are not uncommon. In March, four migrant boats sank in the area, resulting in a grim toll of 180 missing individuals. Moreover, these figures do not include other damage they can suffer at sea: On Wednesday, at least seven Ethiopians died from thirst and hunger, and several others went missing after a boat traveling from Somalia
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-afri ... 0_124.html