A spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Tamim Eleian, spoke candidly, revealing that two of these ill-fated vessels foundered off the Yemeni coast. Blessedly, two crew members were saved, yet despair hangs heavy as 181 migrants and five Yemeni crew members are still unaccounted for in the murky depths.
Abdusattor Esoev, IOM’s chief of mission in Yemen, painfully acknowledged to AFP news agency, “We are working with authorities to see if we can find any survivors, but I’m afraid we may not have any.” A stark realization of the risks these individuals undertake.
Simultaneously, two other boats met a similar fate off the shores of the diminutive yet strategically significant nation of Djibouti. Unlike their Yemeni counterparts, these ships saw more favorable outcomes with only two confirmed fatalities while the remaining passengers were fortunate enough to be rescued.
Despite Yemen’s turbulent backdrop—a civil war now stretching nearly a decade—the country remains a pivotal gateway for those driven by desperation in search of livelihood in the Gulf countries. According to data, an astonishing number of migrants, some in the hundreds of thousands, brave these treacherous waters each year.
The sobering reality is depicted through numbers: in 2023 alone, approximately 97,200 individuals embarked on this journey, a stark increase from the numbers seen in 2021. Yet, the ebb and flow of these migrations seem tethered to the constraints of increased maritime patrols, with last year witnessing a dip to roughly 61,000 hopefuls.
Tragically, it is not just the intake numbers that tell a story fraught with peril. In 2024, the IOM recorded that 558 souls vanished along these migration routes. A chilling reminder occurred this past January when 20 Ethiopian migrants perished as their crossing met a horrifying end off the Yemeni coast.
One cannot ignore the stark figures that shadow over the past decade: over 2,082 migrants have vanished en route, among them, 693 have been confirmed drowned, engulfed by the relentless tides of tragedy.
Today, nearly 380,000 migrants find themselves in Yemen. A temporary sanctuary, perhaps, yet overshadowed by an uncertain future as they seek refuge and opportunity amidst a nation’s own turmoil. These numbers do more than paint a picture; they urge us to question the breadth of humanity’s responsibility. What systemic changes are needed to ensure these lives, filled with potential and dreams, are not left at the mercy of the sea?
Much like the currents shaping these treacherous waters, the stories of migrants are complex and interwoven—narratives of courage, need, and resilience against overwhelming odds. Stories such as these are not mere statistics; they are a clarion call to empathy and action, urging an international community’s response.
When discussing these migrations, one might recall the words of the late Elie Wiesel, a Nobel laureate, who once said, “No human being is illegal.” Let this be a guiding principle as the world contemplates solutions to ease human suffering across borders and upon the seas.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
