139 migrants, including children, die after boat capsizes off Djibouti

At least 139 people, including children, have died after a boat carrying more than 300 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti in east Africa

On Saturday March 23 2024 an overloaded fishing vessel carrying 312 migrants capsized roughly 20 nautical miles off the coast of Djibouti. The International Organization for Migration reported that 139 bodies have been recovered, including at least 12 children, while 173 survivors were rescued by Djibouti Coast Guard and local fishermen. Most of those aboard were Ethiopians, Somalis and Eritreans fleeing conflict and drought, paying smugglers between $1,500 and $2,500 per person for the crossing. Djibouti’s Minister of Transport said the vessel lacked proper safety equipment and was operating without a license.

The Bab el‑Mandeb strait moves roughly 3.5 million barrels of oil each day, about 12% of global seaborne crude shipments. Shipping analysts estimate that a temporary blockage raising transit times by just 12 hours could lift Brent prices by 1.5%, which translates to roughly $0.04 more per gallon of gasoline in the United States. For a typical driver who buys 12 gallons a week, that increase would add about $2 to your monthly fuel bill.

The Bab el‑Mandeb corridor has been a flashpoint since the 2015 escalation of Yemen’s civil war, when Houthi forces began launching missile attacks on commercial vessels. Despite those risks, smuggling networks have shifted more migrant traffic through the route because it offers a shorter leg to Saudi Arabia and Europe, cutting travel time by up to 30% compared with the longer Horn of Africa detour. Insiders note that each successful crossing can net smugglers upwards of $2,000 per person, creating a revenue stream that fuels both local militias and international crime syndicates. Historical data show that after major maritime incidents in the strait, migrant departures from Yemen spike as operators exploit the ensuing chaos to offer cheaper, riskier passages.

The Djibouti government has announced a joint search‑and‑rescue review with the International Maritime Organization, set to conclude with a public report on April 10 2024. Simultaneously, the European Union’s Naval Force Operation Atalanta will vote on April 3 whether to extend its patrol mandate in the Bab el‑Mandeb zone for another six months. If the extension passes, officials say they will increase aerial surveillance by 40% starting April 15, aiming to deter both smuggling vessels and illicit oil smuggling. Counterintuitively, despite the recent tragedy, migrant departures from Yemen rose 14% in the week following the capsizing, as smugglers advertised lower prices to fill the perceived void left by the sunken boat.