Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (AP) – A deadly shipwreck in waters off the coast of Yemen over the weekend weighs heavily on many of Ethiopia’s hearts. Twelve migrants on the boat that carried 154 Ethiopians survived the tragedy – At least 68 people have died and 74 remain missing.
When Solomon’s Gebre Michel heard about the disaster on Sunday, it brought heartbreaking memories – he lost a close friend and brother several years ago in an illegal migration.
“I understand pain very well,” Gebre Mikael told The Associated Press from her home in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has been relatively stable ever since. The war in the country’s Tigray region ended in 2022the unemployment rate among young people is currently above 20%, putting dangerous bodies of waters that many people are trying to reach. Wealthy Gulf Arab countriesseeking a better life elsewhere.
Mesel Kindeya traveled undocumentedly on the tragic journey depicted by smugglers from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia via the same sea route as the boat that capsized on Sunday in 2016.
“We could barely breathe,” she remembers her own ocean crossing. “Talking can throw it overboard at smugglers. I deeply regret putting my life at risk, thinking it would improve my life.”
Kindeya arrived in Saudi Arabia, was captured by authorities and worked as a maid for six months before being jailed for eight months. By the time she returned to Ethiopia, she was unable to obtain the initial costs for her journey.
“Even with the difficulties of life, illegal immigration is not the solution,” she says.
The past few years Hundreds of immigrants He died in a wreck YemenIt is the poorest country in the Arab world, which has been caught up in a civil war since September 2014.
“This indicates the despair of the situation in Ethiopia for many,” according to Tekremicher A. Abu Sahmariam, a human rights lawyer who practices at Addis Ababa.
“They are pushed towards war-torn countries like Yemen, heading towards Saudi Arabia and Europe,” he told the Associated Press. “I know a lot of people have died.”
And many of the people caught and sent back to Ethiopia try to set up a crossroads again.
“People are deported, faced with economic tor and even when they are exposed to sexual exploitation,” the lawyer said.
In a statement Monday, Ethiopians urged Ethiopians to “use legal paths to ensure opportunities.”
“We warn citizens not to take illegal routes when finding such opportunities and avoid any sacrifices on the services of human traffickers,” the statement said.
In a social media post, African Union spokesman Nuur Mohamud Sheek called for urgent collective action “to address the root causes of irregular migration and support for immigration rights and prevent further loss of life.”
Yemen is a Main routes for immigration From the horns of East Africa and the African countries.
Last year, around 60,000 immigrants arrived in Yemen, down from 97,200 in 2023. United Nations Immigration Agency, International Immigration Agency.
At least two immigrants died in March, and 186 people died Four boats capsized off Yemen and Djiboutiaccording to IOM.
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