At least 139 migrants, including children, have died after a boat carrying 305 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti while travelling towards Yemen, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The vessel overturned near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, during the night of October 8-9, the UN agency said, citing accounts from survivors. Approximately 82 people survived the incident, while search and rescue operations continued.
Photographs released by the IOM showed worn-out sandals and shoes washed ashore following the deadly shipwreck.
“Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance,” said Alexandre Coissac, the IOM’s Chief of Mission in Djibouti.
He described the incident as a grim reminder of the dangers migrants face along the migration route while seeking better economic opportunities.
According to the IOM, Djiboutian authorities are continuing rescue efforts, providing medical assistance to survivors and arranging burials for those who died.
The migrants were travelling towards Yemen in the hope of eventually reaching wealthier Gulf countries, despite the ongoing conflict and deteriorating security conditions in the region.
Yemen has continued to experience tensions between Saudi-backed government forces and Houthi fighters, marking a renewed escalation in hostilities since a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022.
The IOM said migrants continued to undertake dangerous journeys despite the violence in Yemen, driven by the prospect of employment and improved living conditions in Gulf states.
The latest tragedy comes amid renewed fighting in Ethiopia, marking the most significant escalation in violence since the 2020-2022 Tigray war.
An IOM official said the agency had documented substantial migrant movement along the so-called Eastern Route through Djibouti for several years. The official added that people continued to use the route despite changing conditions in Ethiopia and Yemen, although the number and direction of migrants could fluctuate.
Ethiopian migrants interviewed for the agency’s latest situation report on Djibouti, covering September 20-30, said they had left their country because of difficult living conditions, including the effects of drought.
Some migrants also reported fleeing armed conflict and forced recruitment by military groups, according to the report.
Residents of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where fighting reportedly erupted on September 23, alleged that Tigrayan rebel forces had forcibly recruited young men. The rebels denied carrying out forced recruitment.
The renewed violence has raised concerns about a possible return to a wider conflict involving Ethiopia and Eritrea. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated amid allegations that Eritrea is supporting a rebel alliance seeking to overthrow Ethiopia’s government. Eritrea has denied backing the alliance.
The Eastern Route remains hazardous for migrants, exposing them to deadly maritime accidents, human trafficking and arbitrary detention after reaching land.
According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the route in 2025. The number of people undertaking the journey increased by 18 per cent during the same period.
The agency has also raised concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen, where displacement figures reportedly increased from 76,000 in mid-September to 200,000, according to data released last week.
More than 3,700 people had fled Yemen by sea to Djibouti by the previous week, the IOM said, highlighting the growing scale of displacement and the risks faced by people travelling across the region.
The latest shipwreck underscores the urgent need for humanitarian assistance and safer migration pathways as conflict, economic hardship and environmental pressures continue to drive people towards dangerous journeys.
