Yemeni Security Seizes Boat Carrying 150 African Migrants Off Shabwa Coast
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Security forces in Shabwa Governorate, eastern Yemen, announced on Saturday the interception of a boat carrying 150 undocumented African migrants off the coast of Kaidah—the latest in a series of irregular migration incidents along Yemen’s eastern shores.
According to the Yemeni Ministry of Interior’s security media, the boat—named Al-Safa—was operated by a crew of three Somali nationals and was transporting 120 Ethiopian men and 30 Ethiopian women, originating from the Horn of Africa.
Authorities confirmed that the migrants had entered Yemeni waters illegally, adding that they face logistical challenges in handling such cases due to limited resources for detention or deportation. Coordination is currently underway with the relevant agencies to determine appropriate actions.
Shabwa and other eastern coastal regions of Yemen have seen a notable increase in irregular migration, as African migrants continue to use Yemen as a transit point to Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries, amid growing concerns over the security and humanitarian burden placed on local authorities in light of the country’s ongoing crisis.
