Yemen - Flow Monitoring Points | Non-Yemeni Migrant Arrivals And Yemeni Migrant Returnees In March 2022

In March 2022, IOM Yemen DTM recorded 5,354 migrants entering Yemen, compared to 8,358 migrant arrivals in February 2022. This significant decrease is likely related to difficult weather conditions and high tides. Furthermore, the drop might also be associated with the tightening of security measures on the borders of Djibouti and Yemen.

The Eastern Route, one of the busiest maritime migration routes in the world, witnessed a decrease in migration flows due to COVID19-related movement restrictions. With the recent loosening of restrictions on international movements, there has been a steady increase in the number of migrant arrivals into Yemen.

Due to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the challenges in moving onwards towards KSA, many migrants have opted to return to the Horn of Africa. DTM teams in Djibouti recorded that during March 2022, a total of 789 migrants took the risky return by boat form Yemen to travel home. Moreover, DTM recorded 7,607 Yemeni returns from KSA during the month of March 2022, compared to 4,685 in February 2022. Between 1 January and 31 March 2022, an estimated 19,652 migrants and 18,052 Yemeni migrant returnees arrived in Yemen.

The migrant caseload was around 93 per cent Ethiopian nationals, and around eight per cent Somali nationals. The migrants are predominantly male (71%), with (20%) women, seven per cent boys and two per cent girls also among the travelers.

Through March’s reporting period, 2,745 migrants arrived from Somalia and were recorded at Ber Ali flow monitoring point in Shabwah governorate. In Lahj governorate, 2,609 migrants arrived from Djibouti, wherein 885 were recorded at Al Makhabah flow monitoring point (FMP), 827 at Al Hejaf FMP, 330 at Al Azaf FMP, 216 at Al Cawhah FMP, 180 at Al Hajeimah FMP, and 171 at Al Aarah FMP.