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IOM
Today, a flight carrying 140 stranded migrants departed from Aden International Airport for Addis Ababa. This was the first flight to Ethiopia from Yemen under the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme since the COVID-19 global pandemic was declared.
“This flight is a vital lifeline for migrants who have been stranded for months on end in unsafe conditions,” said António Vitorino, IOM Director General. “In the coming months, we hope to see more migrants able to safely go home to their loved ones in this way.”
Despite a reduction in the number of migrants arriving in Yemen – from 138,000 in 2019 to just over 37,500 in 2020 – the dangers they face have drastically increased over the past year. Unable to continue across Yemen to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), many stranded migrants lack shelter, water and food. Migrants also have been at increasing risk of experiencing xenophobia, exploitation and detention over the last year.