Djibouti Migrant Boat Disaster: Death Toll Rises to 139, Another 84 Missing

The death toll from a migrant boat disaster off Djibouti has risen to 139, with another 84 people still missing, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday as search and recovery operations continued.

The UN migration agency said 30 additional bodies had been recovered, raising the toll from 109. The boat was carrying 305 people from Djibouti towards Yemen when it capsized near Guehere, north of Obock, on the night of October 8–9.

Eighty-two people survived. The disaster is among the deadliest shipwrecks recorded along the Eastern Migration Route, according to the IOM.

‘WE CANNOT KEEP TREATING THESE DEATHS AS NORMAL’

IOM Director General Amy Pope urged governments and donors to expand safe and legal migration options.

“No one gets into a boat like that unless they believe there is no other safe way,” Pope said.

“We cannot keep treating these deaths as normal. Safe and legal pathways save lives. I am asking governments and donors to act before the next boat goes down,” she added.

The agency is providing survivors with healthcare, psychosocial support, food, shelter and protection services at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock.

A PERILOUS ROUTE TO THE GULF

Tens of thousands of people from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti each year, seeking to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into Yemen and eventually reach Gulf countries for work, security and stability.

Poverty, regional insecurity and the effects of climate change continue to drive migration despite the dangers of the sea crossing and the risks awaiting migrants in Yemen.

The IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix has recorded more than 20,000 incoming migrant movements from Ethiopia into Djibouti since September 10.

Those who reach Yemen face further threats, including violence, arbitrary arrest, detention, exploitation and human trafficking.

DEATHS MOUNT AS FUNDING FALLS SHORT

The IOM’s Missing Migrants Project recorded more than 900 deaths or disappearances along the corridor in 2025, when the overall volume of journeys increased by 18%.

Another shipwreck off the coast in March 2026 left nine people dead and 45 missing.

The IOM said it was working with Djiboutian authorities to support rescue operations and prevent deaths on land and at sea. However, growing humanitarian needs were exceeding the funding available.

The agency appealed for urgent donor support for Djibouti’s search and rescue response and renewed its call for safer migration pathways.

With inputs from ANI