This briefing paper provides an overview of the context surrounding missing migrants in the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA), including the most important routes in the region, risks experienced by people on the move, causes of death and critical data needs.1 Worldwide, over 47,000 people have died or disappeared during migration since 2014, while 1,063 deaths and disappearances have been recorded in the EHoA region. Of the routes in this region, the Eastern Corridor is the most trafficked and visible and it continues to be where most verified reports arise of migrants losing their lives (109 in 2021, 59 in 2020, and 135 in 2019).

Due to the challenges of collecting verified data, the numbers of people who suffer such experiences and lose their lives in transit are underreported, and evidence suggests many more go unknown. In view of this data gap, IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre and the EHoA Regional Data Hub (RDH) joined efforts in 2020 to strengthen data collection and reporting on the lives that are lost in transit.

This briefing paper draws on data from the IOM Missing Migrants Project (MMP), Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), and Migration Response Centre (MRC) registrations, as well as from media monitoring,

IOM interviews with field staff in areas of high mobility flows and migrant interviews conducted as part of ongoing research along the migratory corridors.2 The report is structured in the following manner: The first section provides an overview of the landscape surrounding migrant deaths and disappearances in the region, proceeded by trends along the Eastern Route and Southern Routes, a description of the methodology and data limitations and a concluding statement with a call to action for Member States to strengthen efforts toward safe and regular pathways to migration.

Source: International Organization for Migration