Djibouti faces movement in both directions as Yemenis flee and Ethiopian migrants head the other way

15 October 2026

Djibouti is facing overlapping emergencies as refugees fleeing the conflict in Yemen arrive on its shores while migrants continue to travel in the opposite direction, IOM warned on Tuesday, 6 October 2026.
More than 3,700 refugees have reached the Horn of Africa nation in the past three weeks after a dangerous crossing of the Red Sea.
IOM has recorded more than 20,000 journeys made from Ethiopia since 10 September, as migrants on the east African route continue to head for Yemen in the hope of finding work in the Gulf.
Another 539 Ethiopian migrants have arrived from Yemen on their way home.
Between 20 and 30 September more than 3,000 stranded migrants were observed along migratory routes in Djibouti, facing dehydration, exhaustion and shortages of food and water.
Alexandre Coissac, head of IOM's mission in Djibouti, called for more support for new arrivals, migrants in distress and host communities in Obock.