Yemen - Flow Monitoring Registry | Non-Yemeni Migrant Arrivals and Yemeni Migrant Returnees in October 2024

OVERVIEW: The Flow Monitoring Registry (FMR) of the IOM Yemen Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) monitors the arrival of migrants along Yemen’s southern coastal border and the return of Yemeni nationals along its northern border with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to identify migration patterns and provide quantitative estimates of the irregular migrant population entering the country. It’s crucial to understand that the FMR does not capture all migration flows. Instead, it provides indicative insights into migration trends based on a known total number of migrants arriving along monitored coast and land borders during the reporting period. As of the end of September 2024, IOM gained access to the coast of Ta'iz in Dhubab allowing for an improved coverage of arrivals from Djibouti. Please note that this improved coverage will translate into an increased overall number of arrivals that is not necessarily representative of an increase in arrival numbers.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS: In October 2024, the IOM Yemen DTM tracked 6,364 migrants entering Yemen, a 136 per cent increase from the total figure reported in the previous month (2,692 migrants). The increase can be largely attributed to the increased coverage on the western coast of Yemen. The majority of migrants (79%) left from Djibouti, while the rest (21%) departed from Somalia.

Among the total migrants recorded, 25 per cent were children, 17 per cent were women, and 58 per cent were men. During the reporting period, Most migrants entered Ta'iz governorate on the west coast through Djibouti (79%), while 21 per cent arrived in Shabwah from Somalia.

Nearly all migrants were Ethiopian nationals, including those traveling from the Somalian coast.

Notably, no migrants were recorded arriving in Lahj during October. This is likely due to measures taken by the government to combat smuggling since August 2023.

The DTM team identified 3,448 Yemeni returnees in October 2024, a 15 per cent decrease compared to the number of returnees in September (4,045 individuals). Additionally, the team recorded a total of 172 migrants that were deported from Oman back to Deifen Point in Shahan district of Al Maharah Governorate, Yemen. All deported migrants were Ethiopian nationals.

While the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen has compelled some migrants to make the difficult decision to return to their home countries in the Horn of Africa, others have reportedly been returned by government authorities. In October 2024, DTM recorded a total of 1,910 migrants leaving Yemen either voluntarily or returned by boat from Yemen. This group was composed of 87 per cent men, 11 per cent women, and two per cent children.

Furthermore, in October 2024, the Djibouti DTM team reported a total of 1,561 migrants (94% men, 5% women, and <1% children) arrived in Djibouti from Yemen. These figures underscore the significant challenges migrants in Yemen face and the desperate circumstances that have led them to risk dangerous sea voyages.