IOM Vision
Migration along the Eastern and Southern Routes originating in the Horn of Africa is triggered by insecurity, environmental degradation, harsh climatic conditions, public health, emergencies, socioeconomic drivers, and traditional seasonal factors. Within the broader Regional Migrant Response Plan (MRP) for the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa inter-agency framework, IOM will contribute to the whole-of-government and whole-of-society response to address the drivers of migration and vulnerabilities of migrants travelling along both the Eastern and Southern Routes. In line with the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, the MRP’s areas of intervention encompass both life-saving humanitarian assistance and longer-term responses to achieve resilience and sustainable solutions.
The Horn of Africa and Yemen is a region of origin, transit, and destination. The adverse effects of climate change, conflict and instability exacerbate socioeconomic challenges, pushing thousands of people of all genders and ages to migrate.
The Eastern Route running from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula is the busiest and most dangerous migratory corridor in the region. Ethiopian and Somali migrants travel through Djibouti and Somalia across the Gulf of Aden and transit through Yemen hoping to reach the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States. Migration along the Eastern Route happens in both directions, including not only outward migration but also voluntary and involuntary return movements.
Over the past years, heightened humanitarian needs of migrants and host communities have been identified along the Southern Route, with migrants originating from Ethiopia and Somalia and transiting through Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania, among other Southern African countries, towards South Africa. Most migrants resorting to the Southern Route are Ethiopians (85% in 2022), while Somalis accounted for 15 per cent of those on the move during the same year. Ethiopians resort to irregular migration primarily due to economic reasons, but also due to conflict, violence, and climate change (IOM, 2023). Somali migration is driven by various reasons including political instability, insecurity, violence, drought, and the desire for better opportunities.
Ethiopia’s challenging economic environment serves as a driver of migration, along with conflict and climate change. As of July 2023, IOM recorded over 180,000 Eastern Route migrants exiting Ethiopia, a 32 per cent increase from the previous year. Between January and July 2023, nearly 7,000 women and children arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa (IOM 2023). Migrants departing from Ethiopia are highly vulnerable to protection risks and face harsh conditions such as extreme climates, lack of adequate shelter, water and food. Ethiopia is a bi-directional migration corridor, experiencing large return flows. These include spontaneous returnees, stranded migrants who received return assistance and non-voluntary returned migrants. Often lacking the means to sustainably reintegrate in their communities of origin, most migrants face economic, social and psychological challenges upon return and may resort again to irregular migration.
For over a decade, Somalia has experienced recurrent droughts in regions already struggling with protracted conflicts. The current conflict escalation in Las Anod pose a critical threat to migrants en route to Puntland, who are facing human rights violations, discrimination, and detention. Migrants in transit are vulnerable to trafficking and forced labour under the control of armed groups, while those exploring new routes are threatened by smuggling networks. In September 2023, migration movements within Somalia increased, with arrivals in Bossaso rising by 10% from the previous month (IOM, 2023).
Between January and September 2023, over 106,000 migrants from Ethiopia entered Djibouti compared to approximately 14,000 entering Somalia migrants transiting through Djibouti travelled under extreme conditions, crossing large expanses of desert by foot. The worsening impacts of climate change will likely aggravate already adverse transiting conditions, exacerbating the risk of migrant deaths. It is important to note that while Djibouti has historically been the main country of transit for Eastern Route migrants, MRP partners have observed recent decreases in migrants arriving to Yemen from Djibouti, resulting in higher recorded arrivals to Yemen from Somalia for the first time since September 2022 (IOM, 2023). These decreases can be explained by increased patrols by the coast guard along the Djiboutian coast as well as reported increases in the price of boat trips from Djibouti to Yemen. This shift in dynamics can also explain the increases in migration movements within Somalia observed in the same time period.
With 92,357 arrivals between January – September 2023, 2023 has seen a sharp increase in migrants arriving into Yemen. This trend is likely to continue in 2024, with the potential to exceed pre-COVID-19 levels (138,000 arrivals in 2019). The migrant crisis in Yemen is cited as a crisis within a crisis, while humanitarian needs brought on by the conflict are acute, people on the move are not only in dire need of humanitarian assistance but are also exposed to protection risks including violence, coercion, deliberate deprivation, and abuse. Migrants who do not manage to cross into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remain stranded in Yemen and are often detained or forcibly displaced to other parts of the country. IOM’s Missing Migrant Project estimates over 700 migrants deaths attributed to conflict in Yemen in 2022, and hundreds of migrants have come to IOM-supported hospitals with conflict-related injuries. The absence of essential services affects Yemenis and migrants alike: 80 per cent of the country’s population struggle to access food, safe drinking water and adequate health services, while nearly 90 per cent of the population has no access to publicly supplied electricity.
Kenya’s economic stability acts as a pull factor for migrants from various countries in the East and Horn of Africa, and its geographical location makes it a key transit hub along the Southern Route. Migration through Kenya is strongly influenced by family and diaspora networks in the country, who provide logistical support to migrants en route (IOM 2023). Although not well documented, anecdotal evidence suggests a spike in the number of migrants in transit over the last four years due to persistent droughts and environmental degradation that negatively affect livelihood opportunities in rural areas in countries of origin (IOM 2023). Most migrants originating from the East and the Horn of Africa enter into Kenya irregularly and largely rely on smuggling networks, and are exposed to exploitation, abuse and various protection risks, including human trafficking. In the United Republic of Tanzania, large numbers of irregular migrants stranded along the Southern Route end up in detention (IOM 2023). Even though immigration-related offences may be pardoned as a goodwill gesture, provided that migrants are supported to return to their countries of origin, thousands remain stranded in detention in deplorable conditions, with no means to return or to obtain regular status.
The number of people in need along both routes is estimated at 2,173,087 million (Migrant Needs Overview 2024), warranting an escalation of response in 2024. Protection remains a key priority, considering the various risks and vulnerabilities faced by those on the move. Key needs include lifesaving assistance (food assistance, non-food items, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, shelter, and medical assistance) as well as reintegration support and economic empowerment initiatives. Information and awareness-raising about the perils of irregular migration are also necessary.
Objective
Saving lives and protecting people on the move
Beneficiaries under this objective include departing migrants, transiting migrants, stranded migrants, returnees, migrants at destination and host communities in need of life-saving assistance and tailored protection. Departing and transiting migrants face life-threatening situations, including extreme heat and rugged terrains. Lack of access to essential services poses significant threats to their safety. Furthermore, migrants with irregular status are more exposed to grave risks of violence, exploitation, and abuse. Critical protection concerns include gender-based violence, kidnapping, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, movement restrictions, detention, discrimination, and xenophobia. Migrant women and children are among the most vulnerable to these protection risks and vulnerabilities.
The variety of return movements including voluntary, spontaneous, and non-voluntary returns call for lifesaving and protection responses for returnees. Humanitarian assistance is equally needed to support host communities interacting with migrants along the route, whose depleted resources limit their abilities to assist them. Government officials will also benefit from training and technical assistance on humanitarian assistance and protection.
Basic needs, including food and multi-purpose cash assistance
IOM provides direct humanitarian assistance to vulnerable migrants – including stranded migrants, returnees, unaccompanied and separated children, people at risk of gender-based violence and victims of human trafficking. Food and nutrition assistance will be combined with other multi-sectorial interventions to respond to beneficiaries’ basic needs. In particular, IOM will:
- Provide multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA) to vulnerable returning migrants to enable them to purchase items to meet their basic needs such as food, clothes, shoes and hygiene items, as well as services upon arrival, including onward transportation to their places of origin;
- Ensure in-kind food and nutrition assistance at IOM’s MRCs, transit centres, support desks, and mobile patrols in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen;
- Distribute hot meals to Somali returnees hosted in Mogadishu prior to their return to their communities of origin to complement temporary accommodation and non-food items (NFIs) assistance offered in transit centres;
- Partner with the World Food Programme (WFP) for the distribution of food vouchers at IOM support desks in Djibouti.
Direct health support
Health support will be ensured through the procurement of medical supplies and the provision of primary and secondary healthcare as follows:
- Provide primary healthcare assistance in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania, Somalia and Yemen to respond to the medical needs of vulnerable migrants and returnees, including those in distress, in transit and in detention, as well as survivors of gender-based violence. Assistance will include medical screenings, basic treatments, and immediate medical support. Primary health services will be provided in MRCs and transit centers, as well at IOM Assistance Points and through Migration Response Points and mobile patrols.
- Provide secondary healthcare, including referral of cases in need of specialized assistance. In particular:
- In Somalia, provide medium-term medical support at transit and exit points and will refer migrants in need of specialized care;
- In Ethiopia, process referrals for secondary healthcare for returnees at IOM assistance points;
- In the United Republic of Tanzania, provide migrants in transit or in detention services with comprehensive medical assistance from local medical facilities;
- In Djibouti, facilitate the referral of migrants to secondary health services through its transit centres.
- In Yemen, secondary healthcare is in line with the Yemen Minimum Service Package (MSP) guidelines, including essential trauma care, reproductive health, vaccination, screening and referrals to secondary health facilities for emergency support as needed, and also includes mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).
Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian response
Migrants travelling along the Eastern and Southern Routes frequently experience trauma, stress, and mental health issues due to the hardships they face during their outbound and return journeys, including violence and gender-based violence, loss of loved ones, and uncertainty about their future.
In line with the IOM Manual on Community-Based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Emergencies and Displacement, IOM will implement MHPSS interventions aiming at reducing psychosocial vulnerabilities and promote resilience of migrants and affected communities. Key activities include:
- Offer access to multi-layered MHPSS assistance in Migrant Resource Centres, transit centres, support desks and other IOM facilities;
- Train all actors interacting with vulnerable populations in core MHPSS concepts and skills including communication skills and taking a psychosocially informed approach;
- Provide psychological first aid (PFA), and focused support such as counselling and support groups to migrants in distress;
- Establishing peer support (e.g. buddy-to-buddy) systems leveraging well-integrated returnees in hotspots of return to support incoming returnees;
- Implement psychoeducation and community support activities that will contribute to the overall improvement of migrants’ mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. Activities will include socio-relational, recreational, cultural and non-formal education activities, for migrants to strengthen their social connectedness, social functioning, coping strategies and stress management techniques;
- Enable access to specialized mental health care services through direct service provision or referral to psychotherapy and psychiatric consultations to migrants with severe mental health problems including for victims of trafficking;
- Train relevant stakeholders to strengthen their capacities to provide multi-layered MHPSS assistance.
Movement assistance
To respond to the vulnerabilities generated by the complex movement dynamics across the Eastern and the Southern Routes, IOM will implement the following operations:
- Voluntary humanitarian return (VHR) to Ethiopia and Somalia from Yemen: Humanitarian evacuation assistance constitutes an immediate life-saving option for stranded migrants unable to return to their country of origin. Assistance provided will include outreach, counselling, vulnerability screening, protection assessments, family tracing for unaccompanied and separated children, consular services, fit-to-travel medical screening, pre-departure assistance, movement assistance, logistics support and post-arrival assistance.
- Onward transportation assistance (OTA) to returnees: In Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, IOM will support returning migrants in distress with onward transportation support to their communities of origin. When necessary, OTA will be complemented with medical care, temporary shelter, and food assistance.
Protection
Under its 2024 MRP protection portfolio, IOM will:
- Provide general protection services for migrants along the Eastern and Southern Routes through:
- The establishment of a regional emergency fund for protection assistance for vulnerable migrants in countries of origin, transit and destination;
- Protection risks assessments and provision of direct and lifesaving assistance at (MRCs), transit centres, support desks and through mobile teams;
- Protection monitoring visits in remote locations along the routes in detention centres;
- Referral of migrants to specialized protection services offered by MRC partners.
- Ensure migrants’ access to specialized protection services, including:
- Child protection services such as family tracing, family reunification, access to education, referral of unaccompanied and separated children and assistance to migrant children in detention;
- Protection services to victims of trafficking and other at-risk groups;
- Specialized assistance on GBV response, including awareness activities for women migrant workers;
- Specialized services to migrant victims of human rights violations.
- Enhance government and frontline actors’ capacities on counter-trafficking, counter-smuggling, case management, referral mechanisms, integrated border governance, child protection, GBV, and identification of special needs.
- Promote community-based protection initiatives, including peer counselling and information-sharing;
- Strengthen stakeholders' expertise on migrant deaths and missing migrants management.
Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene in emergencies
Access to water, basic sanitation, and minimum hygiene conditions at border points, MRCs, transit centres and other facilities are among the most crucial needs of migrants in transit along the Eastern and Southern Routes.
Through its WASH interventions, IOM will assist both migrants and host communities with WASH services and infrastructures that meet minimum standards. In particular:
- IOM Djibouti will renovate water infrastructures in key migration hotspot areas to alleviate social tensions over shared resources and avoid health issues;
- WASH interventions will be designed in an age and gender-sensitive manner and will foresee menstrual hygiene management (MHM) activities, including the distribution of sanitary dignity kits for migrant women and girls.
Shelter and settlements
Migrants on the move are exposed to extreme weather, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in detention centres, makeshift shelters and spontaneous settlements. Access to safe and adequate shelter to protect them from the elements and provision of non-food items (NFIs) is essential to ensure them dignified living conditions. In the framework of its humanitarian route-based response, IOM will:
- Offer shelter services to migrants at key entrance and departure points along the Eastern and Southern Routes in MRCs, transit centres, shelters, and other facilities. Special focus will be granted to unaccompanied and separated children, women, and girls;
- Equip and refurbish existing shelter facilities, in line with international minimum standards;
- Provide temporary shelter and NFIs for returning distressed migrants in countries of origin;
- Distribute basic NFIs kits to both transiting and returning migrants in MRCs, transit centres, and transit locations. In Djibouti, NFI distribution will be extended to vulnerable host communities in selected areas;
- Undertake quarterly visits to detention centres to provide NFIs to the vulnerable migrants in detention in the United Republic of Tanzania. In coordination with government counterparts, IOM will identify dignified accommodation centres to avoid detention of vulnerable migrants, notably unaccompanied and separated children.
Humanitarian border management and services for citizens abroad
Through its humanitarian border management (HBM) activities, IOM provides capacity-building assistance to Member State Governments wishing to establish adequate response mechanisms to protect nationals and foreigners crossing the border while ensuring border security. Under its HBM portfolio, IOM will:
- Carry out capacity-building activities to support border and migration management processes for Integrated Border Management Committees (IBMCs) in Somalia;
- Train border officials on humanitarian border management and humanitarian assistance;
- Pilot a border pass system at Bole International airport in Ethiopia;
- Provide technical assistance to improve border and migration management processes in Djibouti by:
- Supporting the creation of an e-visa system for passengers;
- Reinforcing travel identification management capacities (Advance Passenger Information - API);
- Strengthening the application of the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) border management information system.
- Support the government of Djibouti in setting up a regularization system for migrants in the country.
Displacement tracking
IOM will conduct displacement tracking activities to collect and analyse data on the mobility patterns, profiles, vulnerabilities and needs of migrants. As quantitative and qualitative information remains scarce, this component is crucial to generate evidence to inform the provision of tailored assistance to vulnerable migrants and host communities. In particular, IOM will:
- Strengthen its regional DTM Flow Monitoring network in the Horn of Africa to systematically monitor population movements, analyse trends and disseminate information through the publication of regional and country reports;
- Conduct flow monitoring across borders in key transit locations in Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya and Yemen, including entry and exit points, recording arrivals as well as qualitative data collection through its Flow Monitoring Survey (FMS);
- Produce Flow Monitoring Registry (FMR) dashboards based on the information on the volume and profile of migrants of populations transiting at high mobility Flow Monitoring Points (FMPs);
- Conduct joint needs assessments in countries along the Eastern and Southern Routes; monitoring missing and deceased migrants at FMPs in East and Horn of Africa and enhancing collaboration and capacity for missing migrant Data management;
- Conduct a DTM Village Assessment Survey (VAS) in Ethiopia focusing on returnees, including mapping of infrastructure and services, an assessment of the socioeconomic status of returnees and of the villages' absorption capacity;
- Conduct a Participatory Migrant Mapping (PMM) in strategic locations in Yemen (common transit points) to gather information on migrant profiles, migration routes and vulnerabilities to better understand migration to, from and within Yemen as well as to identify potential new FMPs in the context of FMR and the upcoming FMS tool.
Support services for response actors
Support services to response actors will include:
- Mechanisms to provide a coordinated response along the Eastern and Southern Routes, including MRP partners coordination and support to the Mixed Migration Task Forces.
- Cross-border cooperation and technical assistance to bilateral and inter-state dialogues, including the RMFM and a regional dialogue on the Southern Route.
- Support to government-led initiatives for the establishment of national strategies on migration and referral mechanisms.
- Capacity strengthening for Government institutions, including workshops and trainings on lifesaving assistance, referrals, migration, migration governance, environment and climate change and international migration law.
- Provision of equipment and infrastructure to government entities, including assistance for the rehabilitation of border management posts in Ethiopia, Somalia and the United Republic of Tanzania.
- Strengthening private sector engagement on safe migration through the establishment of ethical recruitment systems in Somalia and Kenya
- Route-based research on migration dynamics including the impact of the Sudan conflict, protection, trafficking and smuggling, the climate-migration-security nexus and network migration.
- Border assessments to produce a complete overview of the migration and border management structure, allowing for proper identification of development needs and requirements in Yemen.
- Communications products published to highlight the key needs of migrants and host communities along the Eastern and Southern Routes, including resource mobilization-focused products.
- Cross-border protection coordination mechanisms and strengthening state protection capacity, coordination of the Migrant Protection Working Group and child protection assessment in Ethiopia and Djibouti.
- Provision of life-saving assistance and search and rescue trainings to Djiboutian border management officials.
Multi-sectoral support
Objective
Driving solutions to displacement
Target beneficiaries within this objective include departing migrants, transiting migrants, returning migrants, migrants at destination and host communities in countries comprising the Eastern and Southern Routes. In particular, the response will target at-risk and vulnerable groups through inclusive, resilience-based strategies at the individual and community-based levels.
Departing and transiting migrants originate from Ethiopia and Somalia, leaving their country of origin primarily for economic reasons, followed by environmental shocks and conflict. Returning migrants often arrive in their countries and communities of origin in a vulnerable state, facing stigmatization and struggling to reintegrate sustainably. The likelihood of re-migration remains high, especially when a return to conflict-affected regions is not possible. Host communities’ precarious socio-economic conditions due to protracted periods of drought and other climate-related events are further exacerbated by displacement dynamics, as the scarcity of resources leads more individuals to migrate irregularly.
Relevant governments and local partners working on the inclusion of migrants in national policies and participating in initiatives to improve socioeconomic outcomes for migrants and communities of origin, transit, and destination will also be targeted under Objective 2.
Community stabilization
Community stabilization initiatives along the Eastern and Southern Routes will focus on:
- Strengthen social cohesion between migrants, community of return and host communities. In Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia, special attention will be given to activities that foster resilience against environmental degradation and climate change, including community agriculture, plastic recycling, and irrigation schemes;
- Provide reintegration support to address the economic, social, and psychosocial dimension of return while mitigating tensions between returnees and community members. Depending on the context and specific vulnerabilities, community-based reintegration (CBR), cash for reintegration or tailored individual reintegration support may be offered to returnees, including victims of trafficking;
- Support income-generating activities and strengthen employability opportunities of migrants and receiving communities’ members. IOM Kenya will implement financial literacy trainings and community restoration projects offering employment opportunities for the most vulnerable, while partnering with small business enterprises to provide mentorship opportunities for returnees;
- Conduct awareness-raising campaigns and community sensitization initiatives about the risks of irregular migration, legal pathways, and available services to support migrants and potential migrants in making informed decisions.
- Provide rapid stabilization support and access to justice initiatives aimed at re-building the social contract between Somali citizens and state institutions, thus facilitating longer-term interventions.
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania
The map used here is for illustration purposes only. Names and boundaries do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM.
Figures are as of 31 December 2023. For more details of IOM's operational capacity in country, please see the IOM Capacity section.
