UN migration agency demands accountability for Yemen boat tragedy

The UN's migration agency has called for “accountability for smugglers and traffickers” after a vessel carrying 200 migrants capsized off the Yemeni coast on Sunday.

At least 90 people died when the boat sank in the Gulf of Aden, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Twelve survivors, all male, have been found, the UN agency said. It said the boat carried mostly Ethiopian nationals.

"Every life lost is a powerful reminder of the human toll of irregular migration – and of the urgent need for safe, regular pathways, strong protection systems, effective search and rescue operations, and accountability for smugglers and traffickers,” the IOM said in a statement.

Ethiopia's UN mission in Geneva said more than 60 of the dead were Ethiopians. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry is "working with partners to investigate and urges citizens to avoid irregular routes", the UN mission said on X.

Yemeni security sources said the boat capsized as a result of heavy seas and strong winds as it headed to Abyan governorate in southern Yemen. Weather warnings are often ignored by smugglers, who profit off of the perilous migration route. Migrants have reported that smugglers are becoming more reckless, knowingly sending boats into dangerous conditions to avoid patrols, according to IOM.

In a statement, the Abyan security directorate described a large-scale search-and-rescue operation. It said many bodies were scattered across a wide area.

The dangerous journey from the Horn of Africa to Yemen is one commonly undertaken by refugees and migrants hoping to reach wealthy Gulf nations in pursuit of a better future.

More than 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen last year alone, according to IOM figures, despite the devastating conflict that has ravaged the country since 2014. Migrants mostly hail from Ethiopia, which faces high levels of poverty and also grapples with conflict.

The IOM says the route between the Horn of Africa and Yemen is "one of the world's busiest and most perilous mixed migration routes".

The Horn of Africa is made up of Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and the breakaway region of Somaliland. Drought, climate change and food insecurity are other factors that have pushed migrants to leave.

The IOM has recorded more than 350 deaths and disappearances this year among migrants travelling along the Eastern Route – between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, “although the actual figure is likely to be significantly higher”, the UN migration agency said.

Over the past decade, IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded over 3,400 deaths and disappearances along the Eastern Route, including more than 580 women and 100 children. It said 1,400 of these deaths were caused by drowning.

“This heartbreaking incident highlights the urgent need to address the dangers of irregular migration along the Eastern Route,” the agency said.

“Immediate lifesaving assistance and protection for vulnerable migrants must be prioritised, alongside targeted efforts to tackle the root causes of irregular migration,” it added.