Ethiopia: Stranded Migrants Return Home from Djibouti, Yemen

By NewsfromAfrica 

DJIBUTI —  IOM has helped 159 stranded Ethiopian migrants to return home from Djibouti to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa from Since Friday April 3 2014.

The returnees included 131 individuals stranded in Djibouti en route to Yemen and 28 people evacuated to Djibouti from Yemen by sea due to the ongoing conflict in that country. None had the means to return home to Ethiopia.

The group included five women – one of them pregnant – evacuated from Yemen, and 37 unaccompanied minors stranded in Djibouti.

Of the returnees, 131 travelled by road and the remainder by air. Prior to their departure, IOM provided accommodation at its transit centers in Djibouti and Addis Ababa. On arrival in Addis Ababa, IOM transferred the unaccompanied minors to a centre for family tracing and reunification.

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