The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and 45 humanitarian and development partners are appealing for USD 81 million to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to over one million migrants — including women and children — and the communities that host them in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Republic of Tanzania, Kenya and Yemen.
The funding request falls under the Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa (MRP), coordinated by IOM.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants embark each year on dangerous irregular journeys, primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia, aiming to reach Gulf nations including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia via Djibouti and Yemen. On another route, migrants travel through Kenya, Tanzania, and other Southern African nations, with the hope of reaching South Africa.
"Last year 446,000 movements were tracked along the Eastern Route, 10 percent of which were by children, according to the IOM Regional Data Hub for East, Horn and Southern Africa.
On the route migrants are often subject to life-threatening conditions, including starvation and dehydration. According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, at least 559 people lost their lives along the Eastern and Southern routes in 2024, while many more deaths are known to go unreported.
According to MRP partners, over 1.4 million migrants and the communities that host them along these routes will need assistance this year. The needs include food, non-food items, medical care, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection, psycho-social support, along with voluntary return and reintegration support.
“With the steady deterioration of the economic and instability context in East and Horn of Africa, the motivation to move out is at a new peak,” said Mutuku Nguli, Chief Executive Officer, Counter Human Trafficking Trust East Africa. “This reality has further weakened the community support structures along the transit routes while at the same time aggravating the risk factors associated with irregular migration in Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa routes.”