Despite Yemen’s protracted civil war since 2014, it remains a key transit country for large-scale mixed migration along the Eastern Route, with an average of approximately 100,000 people migrating irregularly from the Horn of Africa to and through Yemen every year for more than a decade, according to a recent report by Mixed Migration Centre (MMC)
The report added In addition to being the most travelled, the Eastern Route is widely regarded as among the most dangerous mixed migration routes originating from the African continent, in terms of migrants’ exposure to violence, abuse, and exploitation, often at the hands of smugglers and traffickers.
The Eastern Route, particularly the Red Sea crossing, according to MMC report, is predominantly controlled by migrant smuggling and trafficking networks, distinguishing it from other migration routes where such networks may not exert as much influence and control over irregular migration.
In 2024, smugglers appeared to shift their coastal arrival points in Yemen from Lahj to Ta’iz and Shabwah to evade the Yemeni coastguard and a joint military campaign targeting smugglers.
The report included the result of a survey which found that:
1. 13% of respondents had previously migrated along the Eastern Route, with most using smugglers and reaching their intended destinations.
2. Forced returns is a key challenge for irregular migrants on the Eastern Route. Among those who did not reach their intended destinations (n=74), being forced to return (54) and being arrested and detained (37) were the main reasons.
3. 97% of respondents had not reached the end of their journey at the time of interview, with the majority aiming to reach countries farther afield in the Arabian Peninsula, specifically Saudi Arabia (89%), Oman (10%), the United Arab Emirates (<1%), and Kuwait (<1%).
The report concluded that respondents will likely continue to rely on smugglers, given the harsh terrain and heavily controlled borders of these intended destinations.
Respondents’ migration strategies were largely temporary (86%), with just 10% expressing a desire to stay permanently, suggesting that respondents may once again contract smugglers for the return journey or else turn to their embassies or IOM to facilitate their return.
Owing to the irregular status of all respondents, they are highly vulnerable to detention and deportation in destination countries, or to trafficking and exploitation, which would leave them trapped and unable to return.