A boat capsized off the coast of Yemen and around 200 migrants, mostly from the Horn of Africa, are missing. This was reported by Yemeni and United Nations officials, specifying that the episode took place yesterday. This is the latest maritime disaster involving African migrants seeking a better life in the rich Gulf countries. According to Abd Rabou Mehwali, former head of Ras al-Ara municipality and current deputy education minister of the Yemeni government internationally, the boat left Djibouti over the weekend and sank off the Ras al area. -Ara, in the southern Yemeni province of Lahj. A UN migration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the boat was carrying around 200 people, mostly Africans, and some Yemenis. It is not clear if there are victims or if any migrants have been rescued. The official specified that those who were on board the boat are missing.
Thousands of people each year try to make the journey from Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia to Yemen and the richer Gulf countries as they flee poverty in search of work. The coronavirus pandemic and the consequent closure of borders have slowed but not stopped the flow of migrants. The International Organization for Migration said around 138,000 people made the journey in 2019, but only 37,500 made it in 2020. In April, more than 40 migrants drowned after the boat they were on capsized at off Djibouti