Smugglers attacked a migrant boat last Thursday, forcing about 150 passengers to disembark far from the coast, leaving eight people dead and 22 missing, according to the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The IOM on Wednesday stated that the migrants were left to swim for their lives, though the reason for the smugglers’ actions remains unclear.
Smugglers attack migrant boat, leaving eight dead and 22 missing.
Credit: Euronews
So far, five bodies from the incident have washed ashore on the Djibouti coast. This tragedy highlights the severe risks faced by thousands of African migrants who annually brave the “Eastern Route” across the Red Sea from Djibouti to Yemen, hoping to reach wealthier Gulf countries.
In 2024 alone, the IOM documented 558 deaths on this route, with 462 caused by shipwrecks, largely due to unseaworthy boats, overcrowding, poor maritime conditions, and smugglers forcing disembarkation at sea.
Celestine Frantz, IOM Regional Director, condemned the smugglers’ “disregard for human life,” emphasising that “Every life lost at sea is a tragedy that should never happen.”
Migrants who survive the sea journey often face further dangers in Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, which has been in a civil war for over a decade.
