Thousands of African migrants arrive in Yemen in 2022: IOM

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – More than 40,000 African migrants have arrived in war-torn Yemen since the start of this year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“More than 40,000 migrants have landed on Yemen’s shores so far in 2022 according to displacement tracking matrix (DTM) estimates,” the IOM said in a statement.

The UN agency said women and children accounted for 30% of the migrants who had arrived in the war-ravaged country.

The IOM warned that the situation along Yemen’s border areas remains precarious, with continued reporting of violations against migrants.

African migrants, particularly from Ethiopia and Somalia, use Yemen as a transit point on their way to the Gulf for work.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The conflict has created one of the world's worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 23.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 19 million are in danger of starvation, according to latest UN estimates.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report