NAIROBI, 23 December 2009 (IRIN) - More people made the journey from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in 2009 than ever before, despite the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden being one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world, where the perils include drowning, sharks and unscrupulous people smugglers.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, 74,000 people crossed the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in 2009, 50 percent more than the number who made the journey in 2008;


    * 309, at least, died during the crossing this year; 32,000 of the 2009 refugees were Somalis, about the same number as in 2008, but a smaller proportion of the total than last year;
    * 42,000 of the 2009 refugees were Ethiopians, double the 2008 figure;
    * 150,000 Somali refugees currently live in Yemen.

Source http://www.irinnews.org