Scores of migrants drown off Yemen coast | News | DW | 07.06.2018

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Scores of migrants drown off Yemen coast

The boat was carrying at least 100 Ethiopian migrants when it capsized off Yemen in rough seas. Thousands make the life-threatening journey every month, according to the UN's migration agency.

Aid workers stand with migrants after their boat capsized off the shore of Yemen (AFP/IOM)

At least 46 migrants drowned after their boat capsized off the shore of Yemen on Wednesday, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

The dead include 37 men and 9 women, with the 16 missing presumed dead. At least 100 migrants were crammed onto the smuggler's vessel which left the port of Bossau, Somalia on June 5.

Read more: Opinion: The EU is divided by refugee policy

According to the IOM, the boat traveled through the night across the Gulf of Aden and approached the shore at 5 a.m. on June 6. All of the passengers on board were Ethiopian nationals.

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Tragedy 'hidden in plain sight'

"Survivors said the passengers who were without lifejackets in the smuggler's boat started panicking as high waves struck close to the shore," IOM's statement read. "As the boat took on water, they were pitched headlong into the rough seas where so many succumbed," it continued.

"The Gulf of Aden's shameful migration tragedy is one that is hidden in plain sight," said Mohammed Abdiker, director of IOM's Department of Operations and Emergencies.

Read more: 'Migration is a phenomenally complex issue'

"Over 7,000 poor migrants take this perilous journey every month; some 100,000 took it just last year. They are treated appallingly and go through horrendous conditions. This has to end," he added.

Earlier this week IOM helped some 101 Ethiopian migrants to leave Yemen through the port of Hudaydah  as violent clashes grew closer to the area.

In 2017, IOM helped about 2,900 migrants and refugees to return home from Yemen: 73 percent were Somalis, 25 percent Ethiopians and 2 percent other nationalities. IOM has also helped 298 Ethiopian and 1,064 Somali migrants and refugees return home voluntarily in 2018. 

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    South Sudan: children of the war zone

    Displaced persons, missing parents

    More than 30,000 people live in the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Juba, capital of South Sudan. Around 7,000 are children who have lost contact with their parents. The NGO Nonviolent Peaceforce is trying to reunite them.

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    South Sudan: children of the war zone

    Family tracing and reunification

    The first step is to establish a child's identity and then to collect as much information as possible which could assist in locating the parents. This data is placed online and can be accessed by all international organizations working in child protection in South Sudan. If the search for the family proves fruitless, or if the child has been orphaned, foster parents are found.

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    South Sudan: children of the war zone

    All-female peacekeepers

    In South Sudan, Nonviolent Peaceforce focuses on the protection of women and children, who rarely participate in armed conflict, but are disproportionately affected by it. To this end, Nonviolent Peaceforce is forming all-female Women's Peacekeeping Teams, specially trained in tackling sexual and gender-based violence.

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    South Sudan: children of the war zone

    Women's Peacekeeping Teams

    As well as training, the Women's Peacekeeping Teams are also given follow-up support as they seek to prevent sexual and gender-based violence. The teams liaise with women in the communities, helping them to identify risks and counter them. The teams are also in contact with authorities so that culprits can be held accountable for their actions.

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    South Sudan: children of the war zone

    Ulang in Upper Nile State

    The civil war began as a political dispute, but it has reopened ethnic fault lines between the Dinka people of President Salva Kiir and the Nuer of rebel leader Riek Machar . Ulang in Upper Nile State is dominated by the Nuer. It was attacked by government in troops in May 2015 and dozens were killed. The once tranquil region found itself caught up in conflict.

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    South Sudan: children of the war zone

    Child protection projects in Ulang

    Nonviolent Peaceforce runs a child protection project in Ulang, one of six in South Sudan. These projects vary in accordance with local needs. In Ulang, community volunteers ensure that the children have access to recreation and sports.

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    South Sudan: children of the war zone

    Soccer on a former battleground

    At Ulang's Kopuot Primary School, children are playing a game of soccer as part of a child protection project. The building in the background is pockmarked with bullet holes, an ever-present reminder that the school was a target for government troops during their May offensive.

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    South Sudan: children of the war zone

    Back to school

    All teaching materials and other supplies at the school were destroyed in the government offensive. But now, in makeshift classrooms, the struggle to acquire an education goes on. Author: Fellipe Abtreu

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