Smuggling dynamics along routes to and within Sudan

Role and perception

New 4Mi snapshots

New research report

Necessity rather than trust

Smuggling dynamics on the Eastern Route through Yemen

Read the report
Rami Ibrahim / ©IOM Yemen

New report

A Sharper Lens on Vulnerability

A Statistical Analysis of Migrant Youth Vulnerability in Sudan & Ethiopia

Read the report
Photo: © Sara Creta/The New Humanitarian

About MMC’s work in Eastern and Southern Africa

MMC engages in data collection, research, analysis and policy development on mixed migration in Eastern and Southern Africa, Egypt and Yemen. The core areas of focus include the Eastern route, from East and the Horn of Africa towards the Gulf; the Southern route from East Africa and the Great Lakes towards South Africa; and the Central Mediterranean Route (also called the Northern Route) from East and the Horn of Africa towards North Africa.

Our primary objectives are to fill the knowledge gap on mixed migration in the region; to inform programming for migrants, particularly in the area of protection; and to inform policy-making around the rights and protection of people on the move.

MMC’s flagship data collection project ‘4Mi currently operates in Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and South Africa, where enumerators carry out surveys with people travelling along mixed migration routes out of East Africa towards North Africa and Europe (Northern route), Yemen & Saudi Arabia (Eastern route) and Southern Africa (Southern route).

Mixed Migration in Eastern and Southern Africa

Migration in and from East Africa is significant in volume and diverse in profile and includes refugees, asylum seekers, forced migrants, as well as migrants who are motivated to move by many different factors. Mixed migration from the East Africa region typically follow three main migratory routes: the ‘Northern Route’ towards North Africa and often onwards to Europe; the ‘Southern Route’ towards South Africa; and the ‘Eastern Route’ towards Yemen and other parts of the Gulf. MMC’s research finds that a complex mix of conflict, insecurity and economic factors are key drivers of mixed migration from East Africa, with a variety of profiles of people on the move.

Interactive dashboards with data from East and Southern Africa

Dashboard on mixed movements linked to the war in Sudan

MMC conducted interviews with 3554 migrants who fled the Sudan war to Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eastern Sudan. Interviews were conducted between August 2023 to September 2024. This interactive report provides insights into the profiles, experiences, and onward movement intentions of the respondents.

Dashboard on East African Migration Routes (EAMR)

This dashboard features data collected through surveys with people on the move in Sudan and Ethiopia since November 2022 to December 2023. It is part of a two-year EAMR project dedicated to evidence-based programming for children and youth, conducted in collaboration with Save the Children and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development.

Our funding partners

MMC’s work in Eastern and Southern Africa is made possible through the generous support and close cooperation with various partners

  • Swiss SDC
  • UNHCR
  • Danida
  • Save the Children 
  • European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) 

Join our mailing list!

Get regular updates on mixed migration in Eastern and Southern Africa