Addis Abeba — Despite a rise in deaths and disappearances along the perilous Eastern Route linking the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, migrant movements surged sharply in the first half of 2025, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported.
According to the report between January and June 2025, outgoing movements increased by one-third (+34%), reaching 238,000 compared to 178,300 in the same period in 2024. At least 348 migrants were reported dead or missing during the same period, up from 310 in 2024. The second quarter alone accounted for 78 fatalities and disappearances, most occurring in Djibouti’s Obock desert, where extreme heat and forced disembarkations at sea took a heavy toll. Additional incidents included drownings, shootings by smugglers in Yemen, and robberies in northern Somalia.
Humanitarian agencies warn that the surge in movements–despite the rising risks–underscores the dire conditions at home and the limited options available to migrants. With forced returns from Saudi Arabia also increasing, returnees are being sent back to conflict-affected regions of Amhara, Tigray, and Oromia, compounding already fragile humanitarian conditions.
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The report noted women and girls remain particularly exposed, with their numbers rising sharply; female transit through Djibouti more than doubled compared to last year. In the first half of 2025 alone, 55,700 Ethiopians were forcibly returned from Saudi Arabia, the majority to Amhara, Tigray, and Oromia. Humanitarian actors caution that migrants remain trapped between dangerous journeys abroad and precarious conditions at home.
Although movements declined moderately in the second quarter due to Ramadan, intensified enforcement operations, and harsh weather, IOM warns that the pace of migration is set to surpass last year’s levels if trends continue.
The report comes in the wake of a tragic incident in which more than 60 migrants drowned when a boat carrying about 157 people capsized off the coast of Yemen during rough weather.
Ethiopian officials have repeatedly warned that irregular migration and human trafficking are devastating lives while posing a growing threat to national security. At an annual review meeting in Bishoftu, State Minister of Justice Tesfaye Daba said criminal networks, often operating through social media, are luring citizens with false promises, exposing them to abuse, exploitation, and financial loss. Officials stressed the need for coordinated action to dismantle smuggling networks and prosecute perpetrators.
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The Ministry of Justice said intensified efforts in 2024/25 have led to life sentences and death penalties for convicted traffickers under Proclamation No. 1178. State Minister Belayihun Yirga noted that tackling irregular migration requires addressing root causes such as unemployment while strengthening cooperation with neighboring countries to disrupt transnational trafficking networks.
According to IOM, Ethiopian migrants remain heavily reliant on smugglers, with the Eastern Route through Djibouti and Yemen the most commonly used corridor, despite its severe risks of drowning, violence, and exploitation.
