Djibouti — Migration Trends Dashboard (May 2022)

In May 2022, 20,882 movements were observed at the Flow Monitoring Points (FMPs) in Djibouti, representing a daily average of 674 movements. Migration flows increased significantly with 28 per cent compared to the month of April 2022, during which a total of 16,339 movements had been registered. For the first time, migration flows exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels (between March 2019 and March 2020, the daily average was 654).

Of these 20,882 movements, 2,707 (13%) were observed in Obock. This coastal region of Djibouti is the main gateway for migrants going to and returning from the Arabian Peninsula. Migrants regroup at congregation points in the Obock region where they then cross the Gulf of Aden on boats along what is known as the Eastern route.

Compared to the period January to May 2021, movements from Ethiopia have increased sharply by 37 per cent in 2022 (from 36,354 in the first five months of 2021 to 49,764 for the same time period in 2022). In addition, 2,886 Ethiopians have returned from Yemen since January 2022. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, these movements were mainly due to mobility restrictions imposed in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, the progressive deterioration of living conditions in Yemen also triggered growing numbers of spontaneous returns. An increasing trend of these returns has been observed since January 2022.