Forgotten migrants: Africans risking lives in war-hit Yemen

NAIROBI - A suspected U.S. airstrike on a migrant detention centre in Saada, Yemen, last week killed at least 68 African migrants and injured dozens more, casting a spotlight on a perilous and often overlooked migration route.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians and Somalis cross the Gulf of Aden in overcrowded boats and trek through war-torn Yemen, braving smugglers and deserts to get to Saudi Arabia where they hope to find work.

Instead, many face exploitation and violence and risk being caught in the crossfire of war.

Here's what you need to know.

Who are the migrants travelling through Yemen?

Most migrants leaving the Horn of Africa are young people from Somalia and Ethopia. Many are from Ethiopia's Oromia and Amhara regions, fleeing high unemployment, political instability, ethnic violence and climate disasters like droughts and floods.

They are hoping to find work in Gulf nations, especially Saudi Arabia and Oman, via the so-called Eastern Route, which runs through Djibouti, across the Gulf of Aden and through Yemen.

It is described by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as one of the world's busiest and riskiest migration corridors.

Why do they risk this dangerous route?

Economic desperation is the primary driver. Decades of conflict, poverty and climate shocks have left many in the Horn of Africa with few opportunities.

Fighting between Ethiopian government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front has killed thousands and displaced more than 2 million people. Somalia faces worsening droughts, with millions losing livelihoods and displaced by water scarcity.

Demand for informal labour is high in the booming economies of the Gulf, and migrants hope to earn enough to send money back home to their families.

Yemen's proximity to the Horn of Africa and its porous borders with Saudi Arabia make it a key transit point, despite its own ongoing civil war and humanitarian crisis.

What dangers and abuses do migrants face in Yemen?

Migrants risk death, injury and being caught between warring factions, as well as abuse from armed groups, Saudi border guards and smugglers. Many also drown when their boats sink. The IOM's Missing Migrants Project estimates that at least 1,900 people, including women and children, died in Yemen in 2024.

Migrants also face arbitrary detention, torture or disappearances at the hands of armed groups, including Yemen's Houthi rebels, government-aligned forces and Saudi border guards.

Smugglers extort migrants, sometimes forcing them to work or join armed groups or subject them to sexual abuse, according to human rights groups.

As they trek hundreds of kilometres on foot, migrants often run out of food and water. They have little access to medical care or basic services and may end up stranded, unable to continue or return home.

Those held in detention centres run by the Houthi rebels and the Yemen and Saudi governments face overcrowding and unsanitary and abusive conditions, according to Human Rights Watch.

How many migrants are affected, and why does the media pay so little attention to this crisis?

The United Nations estimates there are more than 200,000 African migrants in Yemen, with at least 43,000 stranded and unable to move on or return home.

In 2023, arrivals surged to record levels, driven by increased economic hardship and conflict in Ethiopia's Oromia and Tigray regions.

Tightened security and patrols by Djibouti and Yemeni coastguards have led to more migrants crossing from Somalia's Puntland region. Environmental pressures such as droughts also contributed to a rise in Somali migrants.

The war in Yemen means it is difficult for aid agencies and human rights groups to document abuses and gather reliable data.

Migration experts say the international media is largely focused on routes affecting Western countries, such as across the Mediterranean Sea, and neglect the crisis in Yemen.

(Reporting by Nita Bhalla; Editing by Ayla Jean Yackley.)