Sixteen dead, 28 missing in shipwreck off Djibouti coast – U.N. agency

Sixteen dead, 28 missing in shipwreck off Djibouti coast – U.N. agency

Sixteen would-be migrants have died and another 28 are missing after a boat carrying 77 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the United Nations migration agency said on Tuesday.

The boat’s occupants included children, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a post on social media platform X.

Two weeks ago, at least 38 people, including children, died in another shipwreck off the Djibouti coast.

Djibouti is the main transit country for migrants trying to reach Gulf nations from countries in the Horn of Africa such as Ethiopia and Somalia in search of work.

The IOM says that conflict and insecurity, as well as climate change, are major push factors forcing people to attempt the crossing.

The route is “extremely dangerous” for migrants who are targeted by traffickers and can face kidnap, arbitrary arrest and forced recruitment into warring groups, particularly in Yemen.

IOM Djibouti is working with and supporting Djiboutian authorities to prevent the increasing deaths along this route, both at sea and on land. More broadly, IOM coordinates the Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa, Yemen and Southern Africa (MRP) with 48 other humanitarian and development organizations and governments, to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of migrants along the Eastern Route. In February an appeal for USD 112 million was made by MRP partners, but it remains severely underfunded.