Prayers offered for shipwreck survivors near Yemen by Pope
In the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Abyan governorate in southern Yemen, a boat carrying mainly Ethiopian migrants sank, resulting in a devastating tragedy that has claimed at least 76 lives and left many missing.
This boat incident is a frequent occurrence in the region, often due to migrant smuggling boats navigating treacherous waters. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), most of the 157 people on board the boat were Ethiopian nationals.
The Eastern Route, which links the Horn of Africa (mostly Ethiopia) to Yemen and then onward to Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, is a perilous journey taken by thousands each year, despite the extreme risks involved. Over the past decade, approximately 3,400 deaths have been estimated on this corridor.
Many deaths occur due to shipwrecks, starvation, dehydration, and exploitation. For instance, a boat stranded for seven days without food and water led to seven Ethiopian migrant deaths from hunger and thirst in 2025.
The journey involves crossing hazardous maritime chokepoints like the Bab al-Mandab Strait, worsened by ongoing conflict and instability in Yemen, which further jeopardizes migrants’ survival.
Pope Leo XIV, expressing deep sadness over the tragedy, committed the deceased migrants to the mercy of Almighty God and invoked divine strength, comfort, and hope for the survivors. He also extended his prayers for emergency personnel and all those affected by the tragedy.
The security directorate of Abyan governorate announced a large-scale operation to retrieve the bodies of a large number of people who drowned in the boat tragedy. The boat was heading towards the oil-rich Gulf countries, including neighboring Saudi Arabia.
This boat tragedy is the latest incident on the perilous migration route to Yemen, part of a larger pattern of incidents that underscores the need for increased safety measures and international cooperation to protect migrants making this dangerous journey.
[1] International Organization for Migration (IOM) (2022). Migration Data Portal. Retrieved from https://migrationdataportal.org/ [2] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2022). Yemen: Migrants and Refugees. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/yemen-migrants-refugees.html [3] Amnesty International (2025). Yemen: Hundreds of Migrants Die in Shipwreck off Coast. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/03/yemen-hundreds-of-migrants-die-in-shipwreck-off-coast/ [4] Human Rights Watch (2024). Yemen: Migrants at Risk in Gulf of Aden. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/04/yemen-migrants-risk-gulf-aden [5] United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (2023). Yemen: Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/yemen/en/crime/human-trafficking-and-smuggling-of-migrants.html
- The boat incident that claimed at least 76 lives in the Gulf of Aden is an example of the deadly politics surrounding migration in the region, as migrant smugglers continue to navigate treacherous waters despite the numerous general-news reports detailing their dangerous peril.
- The ongoing crisis of migrant deaths in the Gulf of Aden, revealed by organizations like the International Organization for Migration and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, underscores the pressing need for cooperation between countries, particularly in developing crime-and-justice mechanisms to prevent future tragedies such as this boat disaster.