NAIROBI, Kenya

Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen and 48 UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) requested $84 million in funding support Wednesday to help nearly 1.5 million migrants in the Horn of Africa.

In a statement released in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the UN Migration Agency, or International Organization for Migration (IOM), noted that currently over 45,000 migrants are stranded along the Eastern Corridor and in need of immediate assistance.

Mohammed Abdiker, IOM regional director, East and Horn of Africa, said the funds would be used to provide crucial humanitarian assistance, protection interventions and development support to both the migrants and their host communities along the route.

“This appeal is crucial to providing life-saving assistance for migrants on the route and long-term sustainable solutions to both migrants and host communities while addressing the root causes of the crisis,” Abdiker said.

In recent years, the number of women and children making the journey has increased, accounting for 32% of migrants in 2022 according to the UN.

The governments, UN agencies and NGOs are calling on the international community to come together and support the vital initiative to ensure that migrants have access to basic needs such as food, shelter and medical care.

Key causes for migration include conflicts, devastating effects of climate change and poor socioeconomic conditions back home.