IOM Flies 56 Migrants Back to Ethiopia

It was a sombre scene at the Bosaso port on Wednesday as 56 Ethiopian nationals, including 10 young children travelling completely alone, were bundled into waiting vehicles and driven away from the coast – their dreams of a better life in the Gulf crushed in a single, swift operation by the International Organization for Migration.

The repatriation, carried out in coordination with Somali authorities, has once again exposed the raw desperation driving thousands of Horn of Africa youth to risk death on the treacherous Gulf of Aden, only to end up back where they started – poorer, traumatised, and in many cases, orphaned in all but name.

According to an IOM statement seen by our reporter, the 56 individuals were intercepted in Bosaso – the bustling port city that has become a launchpad for smugglers ferrying migrants to Yemen. Among them were 10 minors with no parent or guardian in sight, prompting immediate humanitarian concern.

“This is the painful reality we deal with daily,” said an IOM protection officer who spoke to our newsroom from the scene. “These children were just days away from boarding a rickety boat that could have easily capsized. We saved their lives today, but the question remains – who will save their futures?”