by Xinhua writers Habtamu Worku, Liu Fangqiang
ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Following yet another deadly shipwreck off the coast of Djibouti, international experts emphasized that the escalating humanitarian crisis along the Red Sea migration corridor demands targeted preventive measures beyond reactive emergency responses.
The eastern migration corridor continues to claim hundreds of lives each year, with more than 900 migrants dead or missing along the route in 2025 alone. However, the number of people who undertake the journey is increasing, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
ESCALATING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
In one of the deadliest shipwrecks recorded on the route in recent times, at least 139 migrants died last week, while 84 remain missing after their boat, carrying 305 people toward war-torn Yemen, capsized off the Djibouti coast. Only 82 people survived. Another shipwreck in March this year left nine people dead and 45 missing.
Frantz Celestin, IOM regional director for East, Horn, and Southern Africa, expressed deep sorrow over the catastrophe.
"Given the number of days that have passed since the tragic event, we do not expect to see anyone alive, but we might still see (bodies) coming to the shore," Celestin told Xinhua recently.
"What is happening is very heartbreaking. It is difficult to hear, when we have a conversation with those who are affected, what they went through, and how some of them are even suffering survivor's guilt," he noted.
"Parents have been contacting us, sending photos with their name and saying, have you seen my kid? Or, do the ones who were buried look like this person? Something like this is very difficult to hear from a parent," he added.
The IOM classifies the Red Sea route, also known as the Eastern Migration Route connecting the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, as one of "the busiest and most dangerous migration corridors" worldwide.
Each year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti and cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen, hoping to reach Gulf countries in search of safety, stability and employment.
Agnes Igoye, a migration expert with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African bloc, told Xinhua that the route is a key pathway for irregular migrants from Horn of Africa countries as they attempt to cross "harsh overland treks through deserts and risky sea voyages" in hopes of reaching Yemen, often seen as a gateway to Gulf countries.
Noting that the promise of work in Middle Eastern and Gulf countries continues to draw young people despite the grave risks, she said limited safe and regular migration pathways, coupled with economic hardships, leave many with few alternatives.
Highlighting an annual average increase of about 20 percent in movements along the route over the past four years, Celestin warned that this trajectory will continue unless root causes are addressed.
"If things do not change in their home countries, or their home communities, we can expect people to move," he said. "The only way to reduce the number of people on the move is to change the conditions that are forcing them to move."
BEYOND EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Experts urged to address underlying structural factors behind rising fatalities along the maritime corridor, including limited economic opportunities, socioeconomic inequalities and climate vulnerability.
According to Celestin, over 500,000 movements were recorded along the eastern route last year alone, while more than 130,000 migrants have landed in the war-torn Yemen so far this year. The number has already marked an increase of about 20 percent, compared to last year's total of 110,144, and more than doubled the 60,897 recorded in 2024.
"That is a lot of people moving. We need to find a way to reduce the likelihood of that many people moving, and the solution for people to move the regular pathways in a safe and regular manner," Celestin said.
Highlighting the search for safety, stability, and better socioeconomic opportunities as primary push factors, he argued that unproductive agricultural lands caused by climate change, insecurity and conflict, as well as limited employment and economic opportunities are forcing vulnerable populations to seek better conditions abroad.
Experts emphasize that addressing these deep-seated root causes requires comprehensive strategies focused on expanding domestic youth employment, enhancing vocational skills training, and building economic resilience across vulnerable communities in the Horn of Africa.
Sustainable solutions require interconnected initiatives, said Igoye. These include improving border governance, fostering cross-border collaboration, increasing protection services, investing in return and reintegration programs, and working with destination countries to establish safe, legal migration options and regulated employment opportunities.
Celestin called for robust structural reforms, international solidarity, and expanded regular migration pathways to curb dangerous irregular migration.
"We at IOM want to make migration a choice instead of a necessity, and this is what we are working on closely with governments and local communities -- to address the needs of those who tend to move," he added.
