Thousands of irregular migrants stranded in Yemen in Q2

ADEN, Yemen

Thousands of irregular migrants have been stranded in Yemen in the second quarter of this year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

"IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) recorded 3,669 migrants, mainly departing from Somalia, arriving between April and June 2020, nearly a 92 per cent drop from the same months in 2019 and an 87 per cent drop from the first quarter of 2020.

"Southern governorates are seeing an increased migrant presence within or just outside of Aden and Marib, where thousands of migrants are estimated to be stranded. In Aden city, during the month of June over 4,000 migrants approached IOM asking for assistance and support to return home," the report said.

Among the irregular migrants stranded in Yemen, 90% of them were Ethiopian, and the rest mostly from Somalia, said the UN migration agency in its report -- Quarterly Migration Overview.

The irregular migrants were trying to go to Saudi Arabia for a better life, the statement added.

Most of these migrants were stranded in Yemen's southern coastal cities, including Lahij, Shabwah, and Hadhramaut.

Irregular migrants from countries of the African Horn often try to reach Gulf countries passing through Yemen.