ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia —Hundreds of Ethiopian migrants are returning home through border crossings with Djibouti following a sudden and sweeping policy shift by Djiboutian authorities that threatens the forced repatriation of undocumented individuals.
The exodus began earlier this week after officials in Djibouti reportedly issued new directives targeting migrants without valid documentation, triggering fear and confusion in informal settlements around Djibouti City and other towns.
By Friday, border towns such as Galafi and Dewale saw a surge in foot traffic, with weary travelers — many of them women and youth — carrying bundles of belongings across the arid frontier into Ethiopia.
“My cousin called me at midnight to say we had to leave before the police came,” said Muktar Adem, a 23-year-old who had been working as a porter in Balbala. “We left everything.”
Local Ethiopian officials and aid workers at the Galafi crossing estimate that more than 1,200 migrants crossed back into Ethiopia between Thursday and Saturday alone. Emergency shelters have been set up near the border, but resources remain thin.
“This is an unplanned return, and most of the migrants are arriving with nothing — no food, no money, no medical care,” said Lensa Bekele, a regional coordinator with the Ethiopian Red Cross.
“We are doing what we can, but we need support.”
The government of Djibouti has not publicly detailed the reasons behind the abrupt policy enforcement, but regional analysts suggest it may be part of a broader crackdown on irregular migration routes — particularly amid growing international pressure to manage human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Horn of Africa.
In Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the influx and issued a statement Friday evening calling for calm and coordination.
“We are in communication with Djiboutian authorities and are working to ensure the safety and dignity of all Ethiopian nationals,” the ministry said.
Human rights groups, including Refugees International and the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, have expressed concern about the conditions of the returnees and the apparent lack of due process in the expulsions.
“This episode underscores the urgent need for a coordinated regional migration policy that protects vulnerable populations while addressing security concerns,” said Salwa Hussein, a migration policy expert based in Nairobi.
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it was deploying teams to monitor the situation and assist returnees.
The agency has warned that further repatriations could overwhelm local communities in Ethiopia’s border regions, which are already grappling with drought and food insecurity.
As the sun set over the dry plains of Afar, dozens more migrants trudged toward the Galafi checkpoint, some hoping to return to their families, others unsure where they would go next.
“I thought Djibouti would be a new start,” said Nasteho Ali, 19, as she clutched a plastic bag of clothes. “Now, I have to start over again — back home.”
