Migration Response Centres (MRCs) East and Horn of Africa (1 January – 30 September 2021)

REGIONAL OVERVIEW: SEPTEMBER 2021

A total of 875 migrants were registered at MRCs across the region in September, a 21% decrease compared to August. This brings the total registrations in 2021 to 7,531 migrants. The largest number of migrants were registered in Bossaso (228), followed by Hargeisa (188), Metema (134), Dire Dawa (119), Obock (98), Moyale (50), Semera (32) and Togochale (26).

More male adults (44%) were registered in September than female adults (25%), while 31% of registrations were children. More than half of the registered migrants (54%) were between 18 and 29 years old. Child registrations increased by 14% between August (238) and September (272). Most registered children were between 15 and 17 years old (46%). While all the children registered at the MRCs in Hargeisa and Metema, and over half of the children registered at the MRC in Obock (63%) were accompanied, all the children registered in Bossaso, Dire Dawa, Semera and Moyale were unaccompanied. The MRC in Togochale did not register any children in September 2021.

Almost all registered migrants were Ethiopian nationals (99.3%), and the majority reported departing from the Oromia (55%), Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ (20%) and Somali (8%) regions of Ethiopia. Some migrants were also returning from Yemen, in particular from Aden (4%), Al Bayda (1%), Sana’a (1%), Marib (1%) and Hadramaut (1%). About 30% of the registered migrants reported that they intended to continue their journey to Saudi Arabia, while 15% of migrants were heading to another Gulf country. All migrants registered at the MRC in Moyale were heading to South Africa. Overall, most migrants reported migrating for economic reasons (69%).

Source: International Organization for Migration