Nine dead, dozens missing after boat sinks off Djibouti coast

Djiboutian Coastguard Launches Emergency Operation After Migrant Boat Sinks Offshore

A rescue operation was launched overnight by the Djiboutian coastguard after a traditional galba-type boat carrying over 300 migrants and refugees sank off the coast of Guehere, in the north of the country. The vessel, which was packed with people, went down near the town late on Tuesday.

Rescue teams were quickly reinforced with additional personnel and diving units from the Search and Rescue Department, pulling 266 survivors from the water. All those rescued were Ethiopian nationals, who are receiving support at the Migrant Response Centre in Obock.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that this incident may be just the beginning of a deadly season on the route. The IOM’s chief of mission in Djibouti, Tanja Pacifico, stated that the hot season is approaching, bringing rougher seas and strong winds that increase the risk to migrants.

A judicial investigation into the sinking has been opened by the Djiboutian coastguard’s Research, Investigation and Judicial Affairs Brigade. The boat was attempting one of the world’s most perilous migration crossings along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, where Djibouti and Yemen are separated by a narrow stretch of open water.

According to IOM data, tens of thousands of people from the Horn of Africa region attempt to cross this short stretch of sea each year in an effort to reach the Gulf states. Those who survive the crossing then face a gruelling overland journey through war-torn Yemen and other countries before attempting to reach Saudi Arabia.

In 2025, IOM reported that more than 506,000 people moved along the Eastern Route, with approximately 922 deaths or disappearances recorded. This is an increase of 18 percent from the previous year, driven in part by smugglers adopting remote coastal paths through Djibouti to evade police checkpoints.

The UN’s migration agency has recorded at least 7,667 migration deaths worldwide last year, with IOM Director General Amy Pope stating that these deaths are not inevitable when safe pathways are out of reach.

Source: Al Jazeera