Over 100 migrants dead after boat capsizes off Djibouti

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has expressed sorrow over the tragic loss of 109 lives, including children, following the capsizing of a migrant boat off the coast of Djibouti.

In a statement issued on 11 October 2026, Youssouf extended heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased and expressed solidarity with all those affected.

According to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM), at least 109 migrants, including 15 children, have died and more than 116 are missing after a boat carrying about 350 people capsized while sailing from Djibouti to Yemen.

The boat capsized near Guhere, north of Obock, a port town in Djibouti, during the night of 8–9 October, with survivors saying the vessel began to sink backwards almost immediately after boarding, suggesting it was severely overcrowded.

The IOM said the vessel was carrying 305 people, most of them Ethiopian, when it capsized. More than 80 people survived, with all survivors confirmed as Ethiopian nationals.

In an update on Sunday, the agency said at least 139 migrants died, including 15 children, and 84 went missing when the overcrowded boat sank while heading from Djibouti to Yemen.

The victims were travelling on what is known as the Eastern Route, one of the world’s most dangerous migration corridors.

Tens of thousands of migrants take the “Eastern Route” every year, a sea route linking the Horn of Africa to Yemen via Djibouti and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, even though it is one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world.

Most of those on board were Ethiopians seeking to reach Yemen as a transit point to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in search of work and better livelihoods. The route is driven by poverty, high youth unemployment, drought and instability in parts of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.

Despite Yemen’s ongoing conflict, many migrants continue to attempt the crossing, relying on smugglers who use unseaworthy, overloaded boats.

Youssouf stressed the urgent need for strengthened regional and international cooperation to address the root causes of irregular migration, combat migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, and promote safe, orderly and regular migration, in accordance with relevant African Union frameworks and international commitments.

He reaffirmed the AU Commission’s commitment to working with Member States and partners to protect the lives and dignity of migrants, particularly vulnerable groups, including children, and to advance coordinated efforts to prevent such tragedies.

IOM teams are on the ground alongside Djibouti authorities, who are conducting search and rescue operations and providing emergency assistance to survivors.