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Mixed Migration Review 2024

Migration politics, migration narratives and public opinions

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Quarterly Mixed Migration Updates (Q3 2024)

The latest mixed migration trends and dynamics around the world

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Call for Participation in Policy Conference

600 Days of War in Sudan: Taking stock of the regional mixed movement trends, blindspots and future scenarios

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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.

4Mi interactive in East and Southern Africa

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. 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
  • International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
  • Save the Children 
  • European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) 

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