Esther Imonmion
Migration along the dangerous Eastern Route — from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula — has surged in 2025 despite escalating risks and mounting deaths.
New figures show more than 238,000 people undertook the journey between January and June, a 34 percent increase from the same period last year. At least 348 migrants have been reported dead or missing, many succumbing to Djibouti’s blistering Obock desert, drowning at sea, or falling victim to violent smugglers.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that women and girls are increasingly exposed, with female transit through Djibouti more than doubling this year.
At the same time, more than 55,000 Ethiopians have been forcibly returned from Saudi Arabia, many to conflict-ravaged regions such as Amhara, Tigray, and Oromia, where humanitarian conditions remain dire.
Aid agencies say migrants are trapped between despair at home and danger abroad. “People are risking everything because they see no alternative,” one humanitarian official said.
Despite a temporary dip during Ramadan and tougher border enforcement, the IOM cautioned that if current trends persist, migration numbers in 2025 will surpass last year’s totals.