The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and partners from 27 humanitarian and development organisations and governments are appealing for USD 84 million to provide life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of African migrants and host community members affected by COVID-19 in the Horn of Africa and Yemen. The many partners include the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children, among others.
The Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen (2020 RMRP Appeal) launched on 5 August will provide urgent aid to thousands of migrants stranded and, in some instances, trapped on the dangerous migratory corridor — known as the Eastern Route — in countries across the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
Eighty-seven percent of migrants on the route come from Ethiopia while others hail from Somalia. They travel with a shared hope of finding jobs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and elsewhere on the Arabian Peninsula.
The migrants have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, chiefly by the closure of hundreds of air, land, and sea border crossings which prevented many from moving to destination countries or returning home.
Many migrants remain in dangerous conditions with little access to food, water, and medical care. This is particularly true in Yemen, where an estimated 14,500 migrants are stranded. Many are at risk of detention and exploitation by traffickers and smugglers, in addition to stigma and xenophobia.
The RMRP provides a framework for governments and humanitarian and development organizations to coordinate protection of migrants on the Eastern Route, while also mobilizing resources to build the capacity of governments to respond to the crisis.
The plan aims to assist over 235,000 migrants and host community members, including some 160,000 migrants still trying to return home to Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as another 105,000 migrants expected to need assistance over the year in Yemen. IOM predicts that over the course of this year at least 75,000 migrants will try to return home to the Horn of Africa.
“The precarious situations that vulnerable migrants across the Eastern Route find themselves in are clear. The RMRP offers a real solution to the ongoing crisis,” said Mohammed Abdiker, IOM Regional Director for East & Horn of Africa.
“It will also serve to assist those affected to return to safety and reintegrate back home, whilst supporting government capacity to respond to the situation in a humane way,” he added.
RMRP partners are focusing their attention on alleviating the precarious conditions faced by migrants stranded in Yemen in particular.
“The flow of migrants from the Horn of Africa into Yemen is continuing, and the ability to meet the needs of migrants is very limited,” said Mohamed Al-Foqumi, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Yemen in Geneva.
The extremely difficult economic situation in Yemen, the rate of unemployment – for both Yemenis and migrants – the political situation and insecurity are leading to the inhumane treatment and exploitation of migrants.
Original source: IOM
Published on 6 August 2020
