Given its strategic location between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Djibouti is a major transit country for migrants moving toward the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States via Yemen. Djibouti’s southern border with Ethiopia, where the largest caseload of migrants begins their journey, makes Djibouti a key country along the Eastern Route. Thousands of migrants pass through Djibouti by foot, bus, or other vehicles, before taking boats across the Gulf of Aden. In 2022, more than 145,000 migrants entered Djibouti from Ethiopia, which more than doubled compared to the same period in 2021 (68,258 arrivals from Ethiopia) (IOM, 2022). Migrants transiting through Djibouti endure harsh physical conditions, including extreme heat and long journeys. Migrants seeking smugglers to travel through the Eastern Route often cannot afford the high smuggling service costs and either become stranded, remain vulnerable to extortion by smugglers, or face detainment or non-voluntary returns by immigration officials. Collectively, these protection risks increase migrants’ vulnerability, reducing their ability to continue their journey safely and, simultaneously, their capacity to generate livelihoods when stranded in transit locations. The ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa  also impacts population movements in Djibouti by worsening conditions for migrants and local populations in terms of the availability of food and water, as well as exhausting the resilience of host communities supporting migrants in Djibouti.

Nasteho's Journey

Nasteho Mouktar, 18, originally from Djidjia, Ethiopia, shared that she wants to go to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to find work as a domestic worker and provide for her family.

Nasteho has been on this journey with her group of friends, over the last few weeks, having left her hometown with the help of smugglers.

In Fanteherou, these young women from Ethiopia have been waiting for the smuggler to return for five days, to hear about the next steps on their journey. Nasteho shared that the journey had not been what she anticipated, as the smugglers made them wait for days.

“They always tell us: tomorrow, tomorrow!”

Despite the difficulties she has had, she tells Doctor Youssouf Moussa (Medical Health Officer, Obock Migration Response Centre) that she remains determined and convinced to continue her journey. The group of young women seek solace in each other and remain humorous despite the 80-kilometre desert-stretch journey that awaits them.

The number of women and girls travelling along the Eastern Route doubled between 2021 and 2022 (from 53,200 to 106,700).