Forgotten migrants: Africans risking lives in war-hit Yemen

A suspected U.S. airstrike last week on a migrant detention center in Saada, Yemen, claimed the lives of at least 68 African migrants and injured dozens more.

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This attack has thrust a dangerous and often overlooked migration route into the international spotlight.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians and Somalis risk their lives, crossing the Gulf of Aden in overcrowded boats and trekking through Yemen's war-ravaged landscape. Their goal: to reach Saudi Arabia in search of work. Instead, many face exploitation, violence, and even death, caught in the crossfire of Yemen's ongoing conflict.

Who Are the Migrants in Yemen?

The majority of these migrants are young people from Ethiopia and Somalia, many hailing from the war-torn Oromia and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. They are fleeing a combination of political instability, ethnic violence, droughts, floods, and economic hardship. These migrants hope to find employment in Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and Oman, by traveling along the "Eastern Route"-a perilous migration corridor that runs from Djibouti across the Gulf of Aden and through Yemen.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) describes this route as one of the world's busiest and most dangerous.

Why Do Migrants Risk the Journey?