A Path to Recovery for Migrants in Yemen Injured on Northward Journey

Sana’a – As the night crept in, an old boat sailed on the dark waters of the Red Sea. The vessel barely held together as it struggled to stay afloat and reach the shore with its heavy load.

People were cramped inside the boat. Some had no space but to stand, while those seated struggled for air. The travelers looked exhausted and scared, some of them were sick. It had been days since they had a proper meal, and the smugglers did not make things easier for them.

On this night, Jaber – a 20-year-old man from Ethiopia – was unaware of what awaited him on his journey. He arrived to Yemen’s shores exhausted but with the hope that he was nearing the start of a better life.

He is one of the nearly 27,700 migrants who arrived to Yemen last year. Upon reaching the coast, most migrants walk for days to reach the urban hub of Aden before making their way north toward the border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) where they hope to find work.

Most of those travelling are like him: young boys or men from rural areas with little to no education.

IOM found in a study last year that more than two-thirds of first-time migrants were not aware of the conflict in Yemen, and 85 per cent do not know they would not have enough food or water on the route to Yemen before they depart.

It took Jaber several months to eventually reach the northern part of Yemen. He eventually became stranded in a town called Rada when he failed to cross the border to KSA.

Tens of thousands of migrants are currently stranded across Yemen – hindered by conflict and smugglers from reaching their destination or returning home.

Migrants live in dire conditions, without access to necessities like water, food and sanitation. They also cannot afford proper health care, which puts their lives at risk when they become sick or injured.

After failing to cross the border, Jaber knew that staying in Rada would not give him the life he wished for, but he hoped he would be safe.

He did not see what was coming. Two months later, Jaber was badly injured in a car accident which left him in agony with several fractures in his leg.

“I was hurt in a car accident and had several fractures in my leg,” recalled Jaber.

After the accident, members of Jaber’s community took him directly to a nearby hospital where he received a surgical operation to fix his fractured bone.

Unfortunately, Jaber’s pain did not stop. His wound got infected after the operation, which caused his condition to deteriorate.

Jaber’s friends referred him to the IOM-supported health facility in Rada city of Al-Bayda governorate in the hope that doctors could save his leg from having to be amputated.

“When we received Jaber, he was suffering from wound infection. His leg was swollen, and he couldn’t walk. He received immediate care and was under daily treatment to receive the dressings and medications he needed for a month until his wound began to heal,” explained Waleed Al-Fakhri, a nurse at the IOM-supported health facility.

Similar to Jaber, Atalal – a 19-year-old woman from Ethiopia – also managed to reach the border at the Raqwe area of Sa'dah governorate after months of a grueling journey. As she was about to cross, a bomb exploded.

“I am originally from Ethiopia. I migrated to Yemen through Somalia two years ago in hopes of eventually making it to KSA to find work,” explained Atalal.

She was immediately knocked to the ground and lost consciousness. Her body was burnt in several parts and some of her bones were fractured.

“This was not what smugglers promised me,” she recalled when recounting that traumatic day.

Atalal was rushed to a hospital in Sa’dah, by witnesses of the incident. She was in a critical condition and was admitted to the emergency room for an operation to stop the internal bleeding.

The operation saved her life. But to fully recover, she needed extra attention.

Both Jaber and Atalal required special consultation and professional treatment, so they were both referred to IOM’s clinic in Sana’a city.

When they arrived, they were transferred to Al Jomhori Public Hospital in Sana’a city where they received more examinations.

Jaber needed another surgical operation to remove his internal fixation. He stayed in the hospital until his bone was completely healed and he could walk again.

Atalal’s condition was more critical. She received urgent medical and surgical interventions.

“Atalal was suffering from delayed union fracture, unhealed wounds and burns on her body,” recalled Dr Mohammed Al-Saberi, IOM’s Medical Doctor.

“She was admitted to the hospital for four months under IOM support with regular and daily follow-up by the IOM medical team,” he added.

After the hospital discharged her, Atalal was transferred to a Medical Community-based Care that is supported by IOM to care for migrants in need of support. For a few months, she received regular care for her wounds, medical monitoring and food.

Later, she went back to the hospital where she underwent another surgical operation to fix the fractured bone and remained for a month in recovery.

After a grueling journey to recovery, Jaber and Atalal  wish for nothing but to go back home.

To respond to their needs, IOM assisted Atalal to go back home safely on a flight organized by the Organization’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return programme from Sana’a city.  Jaber is still waiting for the same chance.

“Now that I have recovered, I hope that I can return home to see my family, my mother, my father and my brothers,” he concluded.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supported by the government of Germany to provide primary and secondary health care to migrants in Yemen.

With the German government’s support, IOM provided over 35,500 migrants with medical consultations, health promotion, referral services and admission support in the referral hospitals in five governorates in Yemen.