Follow ups – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

Around 20 Ethiopian migrants drowned in repeated incidents of illegal migrant voyages by African migrants to Yemeni territory off the Yemeni coasts.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported the death of at least 20 Ethiopian migrants by drowning off the coast of Taiz Governorate, southwest Yemen, in the first incident of its kind during the current year, 2025.

The organization reported in a press statement on Tuesday: “A horrific boat sinking incident on Saturday evening near the Dhubab district in Taiz Governorate claimed the lives of 20 Ethiopian migrants, including 9 women and 11 men.”

The statement added that the boat, which is believed to have departed from the Al-Hamriya area in Djibouti on its way to Yemen, was carrying 35 Ethiopian migrants accompanied by a Yemeni captain and his assistant and capsized near Al-Hajjamah in the Bani Al-Hakam area off Bab Al-Mandeb due to the fierce seasonal winds.

The International Migration indicated that its contact point reported that the survivors are 15 Ethiopians, in addition to two Yemeni crew members (the boat’s captain and his assistant), who reached the shore in the aftermath of the “horrific” incident.