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Migrants and asylum seekers moving through Somalia are facing growing dangers of violence, trafficking, and exploitation along smuggling routes, according to a new report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The report warns that life-threatening conditions are worsening along key migration corridors that pass through the country. Somalia plays a complex role in these movements—it is both a country of origin for many fleeing insecurity and poverty, and a major transit hub for others, particularly Ethiopians and Somali returnees heading toward Yemen and the Gulf states.
The risks are stark. People travelling through southern Somalia and onward to the coast are often targeted by traffickers and criminal groups. Many face extortion, kidnappings, and gender-based violence, while smugglers profit by giving migrants false promises of safety or jobs once they cross the Gulf of Aden. Children are especially vulnerable, with unaccompanied minors at high risk of forced labor or even recruitment into armed groups.
These dangers are compounded by frequent tragedies at sea. In August 2025, one of the deadliest shipwrecks in recent years occurred when a boat carrying Ethiopian migrants capsized off the coast of Yemen’s Abyan province. At least 68 people were initially reported dead and 74 missing, though later figures revised the toll to 56 dead and 132 missing. Such disasters highlight the extreme risks faced by those desperate enough to make the sea crossing.
Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows that by the middle of 2025, at least 348 people had died or gone missing along the so-called Eastern Route—already more than the same period in 2024. During the first six months of 2025 alone, 238,000 people moved through the corridor, a sharp 34 percent increase compared to the previous year. Experts say this surge reflects worsening economic hardship, conflict, and climate shocks across the Horn of Africa, which continue to push people into taking desperate and dangerous journeys.
A major challenge identified in the report is the lack of reliable information available to migrants. Many rely on smugglers or word-of-mouth for guidance on costs, routes, and conditions. This leaves them vulnerable to misinformation and false promises. Meanwhile, limited access for humanitarian agencies in insecure areas means that support like legal aid, emergency shelter, and protection services cannot always reach those who need them most.
Despite these challenges, there are efforts underway to help. In April 2025, IOM opened a new Migration Response Center in Burao, Somaliland. The center provides stranded migrants with emergency shelter, medical treatment, mental health support, and the option of voluntary return. While this is a positive step, aid organizations stress that far more needs to be done.
UNHCR is urging governments and humanitarian partners to expand safe shelters, strengthen legal assistance, and raise awareness about the dangers of trafficking networks. It also emphasizes the need for greater regional cooperation to tackle the underlying causes of irregular migration, including poverty, conflict, and climate-related crises. Without such efforts, the agency warns, countless people will continue to face violence, exploitation, and the risk of death as they move through Somalia and beyond in search of safety and opportunity.