IOM: 1,737 African migrants entered Yemen illegally in January
SHABWA, Feb. 12 (YPA) – Approximately 1,737 foreign nationals entered Yemeni territory illegally through the coasts of Shabwa Governorate, which is under the control of UAE-backed factions in eastern Yemen.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed in its report on tracking refugee movement that the number of African migrants who arrived in Yemen last January reached 1,737 migrants through the coasts of Shabwa, which has become a major point for the influx of migrants coming from the coasts of Bosaso in Somalia and Obock in Djibouti.
The report stated that the percentage of African migrants arriving in Yemen increased by 3% compared to December 2023, which recorded the entry of 1,679 migrants.
It indicated that the total number of African migrants who entered through the coasts of Shabwa last January increased by 11%, with 956 migrants observed entering from the coasts of the Bir Ali area, 780 migrants through the Ain Bamabed area, and one migrant arriving at the coasts of Hadramout on board a Yemeni fishing boat while being carried by fishermen near Somalia.
The organization attributed the failure of African migrants to enter through the coasts of Lahij Governorate to the armed campaigns carried out by armed factions of the Sabiha tribes since last August.
The organization also noted that the displacement tracking matrix during last January recorded the return of 282 African migrants, including 36 females, to the coasts of Djibouti.
E.M