This was the first of several flights that the International Organization for Migration (International Organization for Migration)IOM) planned to help 900 Ethiopians flee the Arabian Peninsula in the next month.
“Migrants stranded in Ma’rib are living in fear,” speak Christa Rottensteiner, Head of Delegation of IOM Yemen.
“Many are under the control of smuggling groups, who subject migrants to exploitation and violence.”
Keep flights aloft
While thousands of people wait in dire conditions for a similar opportunity to return home, IOM is asking for $7.5 million to hold flights from Ma’rib and Aden.
“The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of helping those trapped and desperate to get out of dire circumstances.‘ said Mrs. Rottensteiner.
Danger on the front lines
With the urban center located about 25 kilometers from the nearest front line, Ma’rib is one of the main flashpoints of Yemen’s seven-year conflict.
The administration faces the highest level of displacement in the country, having displaced nearly a million Yemenis there since the start of the conflict.
In recent years, it has also become a transit point for migrants making their way to Saudi Arabia.
Trapped and threatened
An estimated 4,500 migrants stranded in Ma’rib have either been unable to cross dangerous fronts to their destination or have been detained against their will by smugglers for long periods of time.
Some have managed to leave Yemen safely for two years.
Migrant women in Ma’rib are particularly vulnerable, regularly reporting violations, including sexual violence.
While living without access to adequate health care, food and other basic needs, some became pregnant and had to find ways to care for their newborn.
Protecting migrants traveling
In addition to flights, IOM provides registration and documentation services, medical advice, as well as safe accommodation, to ensure the protection of migrants who are traveling before the plane takes off.
Upon arrival, they were also provided with accommodation at an IOM transit center, cash to travel back to their home community, family tracing and reunification, medical screening, and psychosocial support.
To meet the needs of returnees, IOM has adjusted its humanitarian assistance and protection services to 2022. Regional Migration Response Plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
“We urgently need greater support from donors to help get people out of danger,” said the head of the IOM Yemen mission.
The United States and Norway are supporting scheduled VHR flights from Ma’rib.
