SANAA (Dawan Africa) – Seven Ethiopian migrants have died of hunger and thirst after their boat broke down during a perilous journey from Somalia to Yemen, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed on Wednesday.
In a statement, the UN migration agency said its teams in Yemen had provided lifesaving aid to survivors of a seven-day voyage from Bossaso, a coastal town in Somalia’s Puntland State.
According to IOM, the overcrowded boat was carrying 250 Ethiopian nationals, including 82 children, when it arrived in Arqah, in southern Yemen, on Tuesday. By the time they reached land, seven people had died due to dehydration and starvation.
“These people have been through a week of hell on the high seas. They have been exploited, terrified, and traumatized,” said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Yemen.
Esoev warned that such tragedies are likely to persist as vulnerable migrants continue to risk their lives along the Eastern Route, a well-known but dangerous path used by migrants from the Horn of Africa to reach the Gulf states via Yemen.
The IOM has documented hundreds of deaths and disappearances along the Eastern Route since the beginning of 2025, though the agency notes that the real number may be significantly higher due to underreporting and limited access to remote coastal areas.
The Eastern Route remains one of the most active and dangerous migration corridors in the world, with thousands of migrants—primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia—attempting the crossing each year in search of economic opportunity or safety in the Gulf region.
