Skip to main content
News - 
Global

24 Migrants Dead in New Shipwreck off Djibouti Coast; Second Deadly Incident in Two Weeks

Geneva/ Djibouti, 24 April – At least 24 migrants have died and 20 others are missing after a boat they were travelling in capsized off the coast of Djibouti. On 22 April, a boat carrying at least 77 migrants, including children, departed from Ras al-Ara off Yemen’s coast. It capsized near the coastal town of Obock.  

Thirty-three migrants who were aboard survived the accident and are currently receiving medical care, food, shelter, and psychosocial support at the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Migrant Response Centre in Obock. Local authorities are conducting search and rescue operations in the hope of finding more survivors. The accident follows a similar tragedy in the same area reported two weeks ago where at least 38 migrants perished.  

“The occurrence of two such tragedies within a span of two weeks highlights the dangers faced by children, women, and men migrating through irregular routes, underscoring the importance of establishing safe and legal pathways for migration,” said Tanja Pacifico, IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti.   

In both incidents, it is believed that the migrants were attempting to return from Yemen to Djibouti after failing to reach the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where they hoped to find work and better opportunities.  

Every year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa, in particular Ethiopia and Somalia, depart the continent through Djibouti in pursuit of reaching Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nations. However, many are unsuccessful. Thousands are stranded in Yemen where they experience extremely harsh conditions.  

“We must work to prevent as much as possible those circumstances where migrants' safety and well-being are threatened and ensure that migrants are able to maintain contact with their families,” she added. “IOM, as Coordinator of the UN Network on Migration, is actively working on actionable recommendations for providing humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress and addressing the plight of missing migrants and their families.”   

Since the start of 2024, IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) reports that a total of 3,682 migrants have departed Yemen to reach Djibouti, surpassing last year's figure for the same period by more than double. This sharp increase is due to the immense challenges and difficulties in Yemen and in reaching the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  

In 2023, despite the life-threatening risks involved, IOM's DTM documented approximately 380,000 movements along the Eastern Corridor from the Horn of Africa to countries in the Arab Peninsula. At least 1,350 lives have been lost – and many more go unreported.  

IOM Djibouti is working with and supporting Djiboutian authorities to prevent more tragedies and deaths along this route, both at sea and on land. Together with 48 other humanitarian and 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 MRP partners appealed for USD 112 million, the appeal remains severely underfunded.  

 ***

For more information please contact: 

 

In Djibouti: Laëtitia Romain, lromain@iom.int 

In Nairobi: Yvonne Ndege, yndege@iom.int 

Share this page via:

Related SDGs

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
Regions
Office type
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Asia and the Pacific
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas (The)
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Central African Republic (the)
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros (the)
Congo (the)
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czechia
Democratic Republic of the Congo (the)
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic (the)
East and Horn of Africa
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Europe and Central Asia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia (the)
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Global Office in Brussels
Global Office in Washington
Greece
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
IOM Office at the United Nations
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Ireland
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic (the)
Latin America and the Caribbean
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Manila Administrative Centre
Marshall Islands (the)
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Middle East and North Africa
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger (the)
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Norway
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Panama Administrative Centre
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines (the)
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Republic of Moldova (the)
Romania
Russian Federation (the)
Rwanda
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Subregional Office in Brussels
Subregional Office in Pretoria
Sudan (the)
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Republic (the)
Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)
United Republic of Tanzania (the)
UNSC Resolution 1244-Administered Kosovo
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Viet Nam
West and Central Africa
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe