The African Union (AU) called for the fight against trafficking in migrants after the sinking of a vessel off Djibouti, which resulted in the death of at least 139 people, according to the IOM.
© Lusa
11/10/2026
by
Lusa
A African Union (AU) today called for the “fight against the trafficking of migrants” after the United Nations announced the death of at least 139 people in this week’s wreck of an overcrowded vessel off the coast of Djibouti.
Expressing “deep regret,” AU Commission President Mahmoud Ali Youssouf also stressed in a statement the urgent need to “face the root causes of irregular migration” and to “promote safe, orderly and regular migration.”.
The number of migrants killed in a shipwreck off Djibouti on Thursday night to Friday rose to 139, after 30 more bodies were recovered, announced today the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In a new assessment, the IOM indicated that search and rescue efforts continue as fears about the missing increase.
The boat transported 305 people from Djibouti towards Yemen when it sank near Guehere, north of the Djibutian city of Oboque, on the night of October 8 to 9.
It is one of the most deadly shipwrecks recorded on the Eastern Route.
“ Nobody gets on a boat like this unless they believe there is no other safe way,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope, quoted in the statement.
“We cannot continue to treat these deaths as normal. Safe and legal ways save lives. I ask governments and donors to act before the next boat sinks,” he called on the head of this United Nations agency.
Personal objects likely belonging to migrants, including shoes, were seen on a beach in a video shared by the IOM, according to the Associated Press agency.
About 80 people survived the sinking.
IOM is providing emergency assistance to survivors at its Migrant Response Center in Oboque, including health care, psychosocial support, food, shelter and protection services.
Every year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti and cross the strait from Bab el-Mandeb to Yemen, hoping to reach the Gulf countries in search of security, stability and employment, and despite violence in Yemen.
Since September 10, more than 20,000 entry movements to Djibouti from Ethiopia have been registered by the IOM.