{"id":644223,"date":"2019-05-12T07:01:33","date_gmt":"2019-05-12T07:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"
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The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Saturday that 222 illegal Ethiopian migrants were repatriated from the war-torn Yemen since May 6.<\/p>\n

The migrants, who were voluntarily repatriated from Yemen\u2019s capital Sana\u2019a to Ethiopia\u2019s capital Addis Ababa since on Monday with the help of IOM, were \u201cunable to continue to support themselves or fund their fare home,\u2019\u2019 the UN migration agency said in a statement on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe migrants were left stranded in a country experiencing a deadly conflict,\u2019\u2019 an IOM\u2019s statement read.<\/p>\n

According to IOM, the latest flight on Saturday brought back home some 46 Ethiopian nationals, increasing the total number of people assisted in the previous three flights since on Monday to 222.<\/p>\n

IOM also noted that \u201c in spite of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, migrants seeking economic opportunities in Gulf countries continued to make the treacherous journey by land and sea to the Arabian Peninsula.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAll along the route, migrants face many challenges in accessing protection and assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201dIOM is committed to supporting Yemen and the region in managing migration in a sustainable and humane way,\u2019\u2019 IOM said.<\/p>\n

The latest repatriation efforts is said to be the first return movement to take place from Sana\u2019a since mid-March 2019, said the UN migration agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cIOM was only able to resume air movements from Yemen in November 2018, having had to suspend them just after the conflict broke out in 2015,\u2019\u2019 IOM said.<\/p>\n

Estimates suggest that thousands of Ethiopians trafficked every year expressing optimism to reach the Arabian Peninsula, via Djibouti and Yemen.<\/p>\n

In order to look for better economic opportunities in major Middle Eastern countries\u2019 informal job markets, mainly with an aim to find informal jobs in Yemen\u2019s northern neighbour Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

Desperate Ethiopian migrants, who often attempt to cross the dangerous Red Sea route via neighbouring nation Djibouti, regularly endured deadly incidents along the Red Sea as well as imprisonment and killings in the war-torn Yemen.<\/p>\n

In recent years, the Ethiopian government has taken out advertisements in local print and broadcast media outlets to warn its nationals on the dangers of illegal migration, with only limited success.<\/p>\n

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