Humanitarian records reveal a 22% surge in arrivals as Horn of Africa migrants continue crossing active combat zones toward the Arabian Peninsula
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) — Hundreds of thousands of Horn of Africa migrants, predominantly Ethiopian citizens, continue to cross into war-torn Yemen despite deteriorating security conditions, ongoing heavy artillery bombardment, and expanding regional hostilities, according to Deutsche Welle Amharic reports citing humanitarian officials from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Humanitarian records indicate that 97 percent of all migrants entering Yemen from the Horn of Africa are Ethiopian nationals attempting to reach the Arabian Peninsula, primarily Saudi Arabia. In 2025, the IOM documented 110,000 migrant arrivals in Yemen. However, arrival metrics surged rapidly by September 2026, with over 134,000 migrants registered—reflecting a 22 percent increase compared to the total recorded for the entire previous year. According to Deutsche Welle Amharic reports, in September 2026 alone, more than 11,800 migrants entered the country, including 2,500 who crossed through active combat zones in Taiz Governorate during peak military engagements.
According to statements by IOM Program Director Katya Yurich provided to local media, frontline reports indicate that human trafficking networks are diverting transit routes toward eastern coastal governorates, including Shabwah and Abyan, as heavy fighting along the western coast disrupts traditional smuggling corridors. Ground observers and displaced migrants confirm that transit groups numbering up to 400 individuals regularly gather along river crossings and desert corridors to enter Yemen despite active military shelling, extreme dehydration, human trafficking abuses, and abandonment by armed smugglers.
The IOM emphasized that critical funding shortfalls continue to hamper voluntary humanitarian return programs, leaving tens of thousands of Ethiopian migrants stranded across Yemeni conflict zones without adequate shelter, basic provisions, or medical assistance.
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