Rise in Horn of Africa migration a worry, says UN official

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI
Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The head of the International Organization for Migration says the numbers of women and children migrating from the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries through Yemen has significantly increased. IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino told The Associated Press that the treacherous journey from Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti through Yemen, called the Eastern Migration Route, has seen a 64% increase in the past year of people seeking better livelihoods, with larger numbers of women with children and children travelling alone. He said climate change is a driver of the increased migration. Vitorino was in Kenya for the launch of a $84 million appeal to support more than 1 million migrants using the route through Yemen.