Eastern and Southern Africa, Egypt and Yemen, Quarter 1, 2026
Quarterly Mixed Migration Update (QMMU)
January-March 2026
The core areas of focus include the Eastern route, from East and the Horn of Africa towards the Arabian Peninsula; the Southern route from East Africa and the Great Lakes towards South Africa; the Central Mediterranean Route (also called the Northern Route) from East and the Horn of Africa towards North Africa; as well as intra-regional mixed migration dynamics. Depending on the quarterly trends and migration-related updates, more attention may be given to any of the countries over the rest.
War in Sudan continues to drive displacement: compared to the previous quarter, cross-border movements have increased by 3% in Libya (554,937), 2% in South Sudan (1,300,869), 2% in Chad (918,260), and 1% in Uganda (89,832). There was a decrease in cross-border movements by 14% in Ethiopia (66,511) and 11% in the Central African Republic (CAR) (41,959).
At the same time, increasing return movements to Sudan continued: in March, a total of 3,682,861 returnees were recorded by IOM since monitoring began, representing a 22% increase from October (3,027,446). The vast majority of these returnees (3,068,169; 83%) are people returning from internal displacement, while 614,692 (17%) returned from abroad, primarily from Egypt, South Sudan, and Libya.
Increased arrivals of migrants in Yemen: In January and February, 40,387 new arrivals were recorded in Yemen, representing a 30% increase compared to the same period in 2025 (28,306). A majority of the new arrivals (68%) departed from Djibouti, prior to crossing the Gulf of Aden and arriving in Ta’iz and Abyan Governorates.
Deadly shipwreck off Djibouti coast: On 24 March, a shipwreck occurred off the coast of Djibouti. The ship carried 320 passengers, of whom nine were confirmed to have drowned and 45 remain missing. The migrants were crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Djibouti to Yemen.
East African migrants injured by Iranian strikes in the UAE: In mid-March, the injury toll in the UAE from Iranian missile strikes since 28 February had risen to 157 individuals. Among the casualties were migrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt, Yemen, Uganda, and Comoros.
Migrants drowned off Comoros coast after being abandoned by smugglers: On 18 March, 18 migrants drowned, while three remained missing and 30 survived after smugglers abandoned them on a sandbank near Grande Comore island, claiming they had arrived in Mayotte.
The QMMUs offer an update on new trends and dynamics related to mixed migration and relevant policy developments in the region. These updates are based on a compilation of a wide range of secondary (data) sources, brought together within a regional framework and applying a mixed migration analytical lens. Similar QMMUs are available for all MMC regions.
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