The Kabul Tribune (KT) — At least 139 people died after a boat carrying 305 migrants from Djibouti toward Yemen capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the United Nations reported, as search and recovery operations continued.
The bodies of 30 additional victims were recovered, raising
the death toll from 109, according to the U.N. About 82 people survived the
shipwreck, which occurred early Friday near Guehere, north of Obock.
The International Organization for Migration, a U.N.
migration agency, described the incident as one of the deadliest shipwrecks
recorded along the Eastern Route, which connects the Horn of Africa with the
Arabian Peninsula.
The disaster comes as Djibouti faces increased migration
movements in both directions amid continued fighting in Yemen. Since Sept. 10,
IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix has recorded more than 20,000 movements into
Djibouti from Ethiopia, as migrants continue traveling toward Gulf countries
despite renewed fighting in Yemen.
During roughly the same period, more than 3,700 refugees
arrived in Djibouti from Yemen, while 539 Ethiopian migrants returned from the
country, the U.N. agency reported.
Alexandre Coissac, IOM’s chief of mission in Djibouti, told
journalists in Geneva on Oct. 6 that the country was facing overlapping
emergencies. He said more than 3,000 migrants were observed along routes in
Djibouti between Sept. 20 and 30, often without access to basic services.
“No one gets into a boat like that unless they believe there
is no other safe way,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said.
Pope called on governments and donors to expand safe and
legal migration routes, warning that deaths at sea should not be treated as
normal.
Djiboutian authorities continued search and recovery
operations as concerns grew for those still missing.
IOM said it was providing emergency assistance to survivors
at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock, including health care, psychosocial
support, food, shelter and protection services.
Jose Barahona, the U.N. resident coordinator in Djibouti,
expressed deep sadness over the deaths, including those of children, and
offered condolences to victims’ families and survivors.
He welcomed the ongoing search and rescue efforts and said
the tragedy underscored the need to protect migrants, expand safe migration
pathways and strengthen international cooperation.
