Thousands of African migrants are stuck in transit – unable to reach their destination or to get back home because the coronavirus pandemic has caused the world to come to a standstill.
Take two key exit points: the Horn of Africa route via the Gulf of Aden into the Middle East and the central Mediterranean route from Libya to Europe.
On the Horn of Africa route, the UN agency, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), has recorded a sharp fall in the numbers of migrant crossings.
In April just 1,725 migrants arrived in Yemen from the Horn, compared to 7,223 in March, 9,624 in February and 11,101 in January of this year.
Last year more than 138,000 people – an average of around 11,500 a month – crossed on boats to Yemen, the majority Ethiopians bound for Saudi Arabia in search of work. In the Somali port of Bosaso, migrants bound for the Middle East have been left stranded.
