More migrants arrive amid hope for peace in Yemen, but prospects at risk again
Arrivals, especially from Ethiopia and Somalia, are up as peace prospects appear to improve. According to OCHA, the total number rose from about 27,000 to over 90,000 from 2021 to 2023. The country remains one of the main transit points, but Houthi attacks have kept ships away from the Red Sea, resulting in an extra 100,000 barrels of oil burnt per day.
Dubai (AsiaNews) – With prospects for the situation in Yemen to improve because of talks between Houthi rebels and the pro-Saudi, internationally recognised government, hope for a lasting truce after years of brutal war has also been boosted.
The possibility of peace, however fragile, seems brighter has led to renewed migration, which came virtually to nil during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet, the latest surge of migrants comes amid rising tensions due to attacks by the pro-Iranian rebel group on shipping in the Red Sea, this according to a session of the third European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels titled Vulnerable migrants in forgotten crisis and fragile environments – protection and humanitarian assistance: a case study in Yemen
Yemen, experts explain, is one of the main transit points for economic migrants, desperate to reach Saudi Arabia and Oman in search of work.
And if food insecurity and political instability (i.e. war) affect both Yemenis and foreigners, it is mainly "migrants, refugees and asylum seekers" who experience the worst consequences.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the total number of migrants in Yemen tripled from 2021 to 2023, from about 27,000 to over 90,000.
“By 2023, there were about 308,000 migrants and 72,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen, most of them from Ethiopia and Somalia,” reports Intersos, an Italy-based NGO.
With “limited prospects for economic self-sufficiency and severe difficulties in accessing basic public services, most of this population lives in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions”.
What is more, "Migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women, including girls" are particularly at risk from gender-based violence, like rape, forced marriages, forced labour and abuse.
Except for Somalis, who are granted refugee status, migrants from other countries face "extremely negative consequences", including limited access to health services, such as Yemen’s failing hospitals.
In addition, Intersos notes that “migrants are often unable to access legal protection, which exposes them to the risk of exploitation, abuse, arrest, detention, and deportation, without access to adequate legal representation.”
Many people “on the move are exposed to exploitative practices by smugglers and traffickers, including extortion”, not to mention, “The risk of abduction by trafficking networks and criminal gangs”.
According to Intersos, active in Yemen since 2017, needs are bound to rise this year, due to the lack of housing, employment, protection, and social inclusion.
To meet the many needs of the migrant population, it is “crucial to prioritize immediate humanitarian assistance”, adopting a long-term perspective that addresses the “root causes through sustainable development initiatives is crucial for long-term solutions to the migrant crisis.”
If the humanitarian crisis is bad, business and trade are also in poor shape, especially since the Houthi began attacking Western shipping in the Red Sea s in response to the war in Gaza.
Missiles and drone attacks against ships have prompted many shipping companies to reroute their vessels from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the shortest route from Asia to Europe, with inevitable repercussions on expenses.
Although tanker traffic in the Red Sea is higher today than five years ago, the crisis has increased the total distance travelled by about 3 per cent. As a result, an additional 100,000 barrels of oil are being burnt every day, warns Vitol CEO Russell Hardy.
(Picture: International Organisation for Migration)
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