IOM
At least 34 people have died after a boat operated by people smugglers, transporting approximately 60 migrants escaping conflict in Yemen, capsized on its way to Djibouti in the early hours of Monday morning.
Every year, tens of thousands of young African migrants from the region make the dangerous journey from countries like Somalia and Ethiopia through Djibouti and Yemen in search for work in the Gulf.
COVID-19 is forcing many to turn back due to widespread border closures that have reduced access to Gulf states. It is unknown what caused the vessel to capsize.
Similar journeys between Yemen and Djibouti are being undertaken aboard unseaworthy vessels by migrants desperate to return home on a near daily basis.