Ethiopian migrants waiting to return to Ethiopia dance as they gather to celebrate Ethiopian Easter, known in Amharic as Fasika, at an International Organization for Migration (IOM) assistance centre in Obock, on April 12, 2026. In Djibouti, dozens of men are making the days-long trek home after their plan to cross one of the world's deadliest migration routes from Africa to the Gulf has failed.
Tens of thousands of migrants brave this so-called Eastern Route each year, most leaving from Djibouti, which lies just 30 km from Yemen at the closest point.
More than 900 died or disappeared along the route in 2025, the deadliest year on record according to the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM). (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP)