Politics UNHCR: Boat with 45 migrants capsized off the coast of Yemen

According to the UN, a boat carrying 45 migrants and refugees has capsized off the coast of the civil war-torn country of Yemen. "Only four survivors have been found," announced the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Yemen.

The boat is said to have capsized on Thursday night near Tais in the southwest of the country. The cause was said to be strong winds and overloading. The United Nations is working with partners to support the survivors, according to the post on the online platform X. No further details were initially provided.

Migrants from the East African countries of Ethiopia and Somalia repeatedly make the dangerous journey across the strait between the coast of Djibouti and Yemen in the hope of a better life. The civil war country is not usually their actual destination: many plan to make their way to Saudi Arabia or other Gulf states in search of work.

Difficult conditions in Yemen

However, they often get stuck in poor and dangerous conditions in Yemen, and people are repeatedly killed during the crossing. A devastating conflict between the government, the Houthi rebels and their allies has been raging in Yemen since the end of 2014. The situation escalated further after the outbreak of the Gaza war.

By attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea, the Houthi want to put an end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza. In response, the USA and the UK have repeatedly launched military strikes against Houthi positions.

Most recently, the Houthis also attacked Israel directly. Israel responded with an attack involving several fighter jets after a combat drone from Yemen hit the center of Tel Aviv.

SDA