IOM Reports Lowest Monthly Migrant Arrivals to Yemen in 2026

Aden — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that more than 11,000 African migrants entered Yemen last month, marking the lowest monthly influx since the beginning of 2026.

In its “Flow Monitoring of Migrant Arrivals” report released Thursday, the IOM said it recorded 11,587 African migrants arriving in Yemen during May. This figure represents a 22 percent decrease compared to April, when 14,834 migrants were reported.

According to the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), Djibouti remained the primary departure point, accounting for 66 percent of arrivals, followed by Somalia at 28 percent and Oman at 6 percent. 

Most migrants from Djibouti entered through Abyan governorate (70 percent), with the remainder through Taiz (30 percent). 

Somali arrivals were concentrated in Shabwa, while Omani authorities deported 702 migrants back to Shahn district in Al-Mahra.

The report noted that Ethiopians made up 96 percent of arrivals in May (11,176 individuals), while Somalis accounted for 4 percent (411). Men represented 66 percent of the total, women 17 percent, and children 17 percent.

The DTM also documented the departure of 1,213 Ethiopian migrants from Yemen to Obock, Djibouti, in April, with 1,203 leaving via Lahj’s coast and 18 from Abyan.

With these figures, the total number of African migrants arriving in Yemen since the start of 2026 has risen to 83,835, the majority of them Ethiopian nationals.