A new USD 91 million appeal has been launched to support migrants along key migration routes in Africa. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), together with 48 partners, is seeking funding to deliver life-saving assistance to migrants from the Horn of Africa travelling along the Eastern Route to Yemen and the Gulf, and the Southern Route towards Southern Africa, as well as to support host communities.
"Migration along these routes is a shared responsibility," said IOM Director General Amy Pope. "The 2026 Migrant Response Plan brings governments and partners together to protect people on the move and support host communities under pressure. With sustained commitment, we can reduce suffering, strengthen resilience, and respond to this crisis with the coordination and humanity it demands."
Each year, thousands of migrants - including children - primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia, undertake perilous journeys through Djibouti to Yemen in hopes of reaching Gulf countries, driven by the search for safety, security, and jobs. Others travel south from the Horn of Africa through Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi, aiming to reach South Africa.
They face violence, exploitation, hunger, dehydration, arbitrary detention, and other abuse. In 2025, more than 900 migrants died or went missing on the Eastern Route - the deadliest year on record. Since 2018, IOM has led the regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa to address the escalating humanitarian crisis along these corridors.
"The 2026 MRP gives us an opportunity to mobilize the resources and partnerships needed to scale up these efforts," said Dereje Tegybelu, CEO of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons (TiP) and Focal Person for Returning Citizens at the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs in Ethiopia. "Ethiopia is committed to working alongside all migration partners to strengthen protection systems, expand opportunities for youth, support climate-resilient livelihoods, and enhance community stability in high migration areas."
The plan will deliver life-saving aid and protection services, expand access to voluntary return and reintegration, and support community stabilization. It also aims to strengthen data and partnerships for a coordinated, route-based response, while engaging the private sector to boost reintegration, economic opportunity, and long-term resilience for migrants and host communities.
"Today's launch therefore presents more than a formal milestone," said Hon. Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, Cabinet Secretary, State Department for Culture, the Arts, and Heritage. "It is a moment to renew our collective commitment, a moment to strengthen partnerships, and a moment to align our efforts behind a shared vision of migration that is inclusive and forward-looking."
Current funding falls far short of the growing needs of migrants from the Horn of Africa. Additional resources are urgently required to meet immediate humanitarian and protection needs, address the root causes of irregular migration, and strengthen long-term resilience for migrants and host communities alike.
Without increased funding, life-saving assistance will be disrupted, exposing migrants to greater risks of harm, exploitation, and preventable deaths. Shelters in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti could close, cutting off critical medical care, protection and safe accommodation - particularly for trafficking survivors, unaccompanied children and others facing violence.
