The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warns that its Migration Response Plan for the Horn of Africa is severely underfunded. Despite a funding appeal of $112 million launched in 2024, the plan remains only 20% funded, leaving a significant shortfall of 80%. In 2025, more than 1.4 million migrants and their host communities along these migration routes will need critical assistance, including food, shelter, medical care, access to water and sanitation facilities, protection, psychosocial support, and support for voluntary return and reintegration.

 IOM and 45 humanitarian and development partners launched an appeal on Tuesday, February 11, to mobilize $81 million to support over one million migrants and the communities hosting them in East Africa, Southern Africa, and Yemen. This funding request is part of the "Migration Response Plan for the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa", which aims to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to vulnerable migrants and host communities. Annually, hundreds of thousands of migrants, primarily from Ethiopia and Somalia, undertake treacherous journeys to Gulf countries or South Africa, seeking to escape poverty, political instability, and climate-related shocks. These migration routes are fraught with fatal risks, including starvation, dehydration, violence, exploitation, and human trafficking. In 2024, a minimum of 559 fatalities were documented on these routes, a number likely underreported, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 64 million people required humanitarian assistance and protection in 2024 in this region, which accounts for approximately 22% of the global humanitarian workload. Experts have emphasized the urgent need for international mobilization to strengthen protection systems and address the root causes of forced migration. However, the Migration Response Plan (MRP) suffers from chronic underfunding. In 2024, an appeal for $112 million was launched, but it remains 80% underfunded, according to IOM.

 The Horn of Africa is one of the most conflict-prone regions in the world. It has a long history of protracted conflicts, violent extremism, and weak governance. Climate change exacerbates these issues, leading to persistent food insecurity and population displacement. The region is home to millions of refugees and internally displaced persons, and ongoing conflicts further complicate stabilization efforts."

Christelle koambi.