Tuesday, April 7, 2015

IOM assists Ethiopian migrants fleeing conflict in Yemen – official

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said here Tuesday that it has helped 159 stranded migrants in Djibouti to return to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
The returnees include 131 individuals stranded in Djibouti en-route to Yemen where a civil conflict is still going on. IOM Ethiopia said none of the migrants had the means to return home to Ethiopia.

The group includes five women – one of them pregnant – evacuated from Yemen, and 37 unaccompanied minors stranded in Djibouti. IOM transferred the unaccompanied minors to a centre for family tracing and reunification on arrival in Addis Ababa.



Thousands of Ethiopians are currently believed to be stranded in Yemen due to the fighting and they are in need of evacuation. IOM Ethiopia, in a statement, said it is working with the Ethiopian government and its offices in Yemen and Djibouti to evacuate the most vulnerable and provide post-arrival assistance.

The IOM said it has received requests from dozens of governments in Europe, Africa and Asia, to evacuate more than 11,000 migrants who require immediate evacuation.

IOM is therefore appealing for US$10 million to undertake the evacuation and related activities both the countries of transit and origin.

IOM offices across the Gulf of Aden have also reported that people fleeing violence in Yemen have arrived by their own means in Djibouti and Somalia.

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