With the deadly annual people-smuggling season about to resume in
full force in the Gulf of Aden, IOM is working with its United
Nations (UN) partners and local authorities to prevent thousands of
undocumented migrants and asylum seekers from risking their lives
onboard overcrowded open fishing boats whilst trying to reach
Yemen.

According to IOM's Bill Lorenz, who recently returned from a
joint assessment mission of IOM, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to the state of
Puntland, in northeast Somalia, thousands of Ethiopians from poor
rural areas and Somalis fleeing insecurity in South and Central
Somalia have already arrived in the commercial port of Bossasso,
from where many will embark on a perilous 300-kilometre sea
journey.

"Before the end of the year, hundreds of people will probably
drown in the Gulf of Aden and thousands more will be exploited by
unscrupulous smuggling networks if nothing is done to protect and
assist those who are currently left in a limbo in the hands of
smugglers," says Lorenz. "IOM and its partners are working to
identify ways to increase protection and encourage cooperation from
local authorities. The most vulnerable migrants, including victims
of trafficking as well as asylum seekers, must be identified and
referred for further assistance."

IOM is currently seeking USD 400,000 to carry out
awareness-raising activities along the established migration routes
and in source communities in Ethiopia. Information provided will
focus on the dangers of human smuggling and trafficking. Awareness
activities on the rights of migrants will also be carried out among
communities with the support of local authorities.

Last year, IOM provided pre-departure counselling, medical
screening and return assistance to some 900 stranded Ethiopian
migrants with funding from the Humanitarian Relief Fund.

Interviews carried out at the time show that very few were aware
of the risks involved in their dangerous journey, which includes
long treks in the scorching desert, thirst, starvation and various
forms of assault by shiftas, or local bandits.

Tens of thousands of irregular migrants and asylum seekers have
tried to make the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen
from Bossasso. Many have drowned when their overcrowded boats sink
or when they are forced into the sea by smugglers to avoid
detection by Yemeni authorities.

This year alone, 385 people have lost their lives at sea and 118
are still missing according to the UNHCR.

For further information, please contact:

Bill Lorenz

IOM Nairobi

Tel: +254 20 4444167

E-mail: "mailto:wlorenz@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">wlorenz@iom.int

or

Tal Raviv

IOM Nairobi

Tel: +254 20 4444167

E-mail: "mailto:traviv@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">traviv@iom.int