Sana’a – Nearly 300,000 migrants from the Horn of Africa entered Yemen between 2022 and April 2025, according to a new report released by the American Center for Justice (ACJ) titled “Escape to Death.”

The report documented the arrival of 77,000 migrants in 2022, 97,000 in 2023, and 81,342 in 2024, while more than 37,000 migrants crossed into Yemen during the first four months of 2025 alone.

According to the ACJ, the so-called “Eastern Route” has become a structured arena for complex smuggling and trafficking networks that generate millions of dollars annually. These networks exploit the vulnerability of migrants primarily from the Horn of Africa while governments of transit countries show clear shortcomings in combating such operations and protecting victims.

The report further revealed that 661 human rights violations were documented between 2023 and 2025. These included denial of aid, mistreatment, kidnapping, arbitrary detention, physical assault, exploitation, torture, rape, forced recruitment, as well as deaths from starvation and direct killings.