It was a sombre scene at the Bosaso port on Wednesday as 56 Ethiopian nationals, including 10 young children travelling completely alone, were bundled into waiting vehicles and driven away from the coast – their dreams of a better life in the Gulf crushed in a single, swift operation by the International Organization for Migration.
The repatriation, carried out in coordination with Somali authorities, has once again exposed the raw desperation driving thousands of Horn of Africa youth to risk death on the treacherous Gulf of Aden, only to end up back where they started – poorer, traumatised, and in many cases, orphaned in all but name.
According to an IOM statement seen by our reporter, the 56 individuals were intercepted in Bosaso – the bustling port city that has become a launchpad for smugglers ferrying migrants to Yemen. Among them were 10 minors with no parent or guardian in sight, prompting immediate humanitarian concern.
“This is the painful reality we deal with daily,” said an IOM protection officer who spoke to our newsroom from the scene. “These children were just days away from boarding a rickety boat that could have easily capsized. We saved their lives today, but the question remains – who will save their futures?”
The operation, described as “smooth and peaceful” by officials, saw the Ethiopians handed over to their home country’s authorities, where they will now face an uncertain reintegration. Aid workers privately confess that many will likely attempt the perilous journey again within months, driven by the same poverty and false promises that lured them to Somalia’s shores in the first place.
Bosaso has long been a magnet for migrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and even as far as Somalia’s own troubled south. Smugglers charge between $300 and $500 per person for a boat ride across the Gulf, but the real cost is measured in lives – over 200 migrants have drowned or perished in the desert en route this year alone, according to IOM data.
The 10 unaccompanied minors are now in the care of Ethiopian social services, with authorities racing to trace their families. But for many, the anguish is just beginning – some were sent by their parents to find work and send money back home, while others fled abusive households or grinding rural poverty.
“This repatriation is not a celebration,” the IOM officer added. “We are merely putting a bandage on a wound that needs surgery. Unless we address why these young people leave their homes in the first place, we will keep doing this again and again.”
The IOM has documented over 100,000 crossings from the Horn to Yemen in 2025 alone, with smugglers growing increasingly violent – subjecting migrants to beatings, ransom demands, and even death for those who cannot pay. Somalia, already reeling from its own internal crises, finds itself an unwilling host to this human traffic, lacking the resources to manage the endless flow.
For the 56 returned to Ethiopia, the journey ends with empty hands and shattered hopes. But as the sun sets over Bosaso, another boat is already being loaded – and the cycle of desperation continues.
