Djibouti is facing “overlapping emergencies” as refugees fleeing the conflict in Yemen arrive on its shores while migrants continue to travel in the opposite direction, the UN migration agency (IOM) warned on Tuesday.
More than 3,700 refugees have reached the Horn of Africa nation in the past three weeks after a dangerous crossing of the Red Sea, said Alexandre Coissac, head of IOM’s mission in the country, briefing journalists in Geneva by video link.
At the same time, IOM has recorded more than 20,000 journeys made from Ethiopia since 10 September, as migrants on the east African route continue to head for Yemen, in the hopes of finding work in the Gulf.
Another 539 Ethiopian migrants have arrived from Yemen on their way home.
“Djibouti is therefore confronting movement in both directions: people fleeing Yemen are arriving as refugees, migrants continue travelling towards Yemen, and other migrants are returning,” Mr. Coissac said.
by UN News – Djibouti faces ‘overlapping emergencies’ as Yemen’s refugee exodus continues
