“Traveling through the Desert Is No Place for a Baby”: New Parents Make Their Way Out of Ma’rib with Hopes of a Better Future

Ma’rib – “I have mixed feelings today of happiness and sadness,” Abdii said as he prepared to take a long-awaited flight to his home country from Ma’rib, a conflict-affected area of Yemen where thousands of migrants have become stranded between frontlines. 

A few months ago, Abdii was one of the first migrants who made their way from Ma’rib back home to Ethiopia on a Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) flight conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Since May, 534 Ethiopian migrants have so far flown home after months, sometimes years, of being stuck in the city.

A former farmer in Ethiopia, Abdii decided one year ago to try his luck to make it to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for better livelihood opportunities than he could find back home.

“I decided to take the perilous journey across the sea to Yemen with a group of my friends in hopes of making it to KSA,” said Abdii.

He was unaware of the many dangers and hurdles lurking along the route, including starvation, drowning and the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

In the middle of the sea, the boat’s engine suddenly stopped working, and fear took hold of Abdii and his friends. After a long and grueling, the boat finally reached Yemen’s shores.

Once on land, migrants in Yemen find themselves caught in active conflict zones where their freedom of movement is limited. While traveling through the country, many suffer from extortion, violence and forced labour at the hands of powerful and ruthless smuggling networks.

Some of Abdii’s friends made it to their destination, but he never did. Instead, he spent months stranded in Ma’rib where he eventually met Hilani*, an Ethiopian woman who was in a similar situation. They decided to get married and started a family, giving birth to their daughter Sinaaf* shortly after.

After Sinaaf was born, Abdii became increasingly concerned about their ability to access basic services and move freely from Ma’rib. He struggled to see what the future could hold for his family in Yemen.

“Traveling through the desert is no place for a baby,” he said.

When Abdii heard about VHR flights for Ethiopian migrants, he saw it as a chance to escape the extreme conditions that he and his new family were facing.

“These return flights are vital to migrants, especially women. We’re so happy to have this opportunity to go back home,” said Abdii while boarding the flight.

“I think my country is the place where my kids will have a good education and future,” he said.

“Besides my feelings of happiness, I am also sad that I couldn’t achieve my goal and am returning home with nothing. I am not sure that my family will be happy to receive me, but I know that my country will.”

Like many migrants, Abdii risked his life for a better future. After facing unimaginable dangers on his journey, he now hopes he will be able to find opportunities and a safer life at home.

IOM's VHR flights from Ma'rib are possible thanks to funding provided by the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

* All names have been changed