"With the deadly annual people-smuggling season about to resume in full force in the Gulf of Aden, IOM is working with its United Nations (UN) partners and local authorities to prevent thousands of undocumented migrants and asylum seekers from risking their lives onboard overcrowded open fishing boats whilst trying to reach Yemen. According to IOM's Bill Lorenz, who recently returned from a joint assessment mission of IOM, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to the state of Puntland, in northeast Somalia, thousands of Ethiopians from poor rural areas and Somalis fleeing insecurity in South and Central Somalia have already arrived in the commercial port of Bossasso, from where many will embark on a perilous 300-kilometre sea journey. ""Before the end of the year, hundreds of people will probably drown in the Gulf of Aden and thousands more will be exploited by unscrupulous smuggling networks if nothing is done to protect and assist those who are currently left in a limbo in the hands of smugglers,"" says Lorenz. ""IOM and its partners are working to identify ways to increase protection and encourage cooperation from local authorities. The most vulnerable migrants, including victims of trafficking as well as asylum seekers, must be identified and referred for further assistance."" IOM is currently seeking USD 400,000 to carry out awareness-raising activities along the established migration routes and in source communities in Ethiopia. Information provided will focus on the dangers of human smuggling and trafficking. Awareness activities on the rights of migrants will also be carried out among communities with the support of local authorities. Last year, IOM provided pre-departure counselling, medical screening and return assistance to some 900 stranded Ethiopian migrants with funding from the Humanitarian Relief Fund. Interviews carried out at the time show that very few were aware of the risks involved in their dangerous journey, which includes long treks in the scorching desert, thirst, starvation and various forms of assault by shiftas, or local bandits. Tens of thousands of irregular migrants and asylum seekers have tried to make the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen from Bossasso. Many have drowned when their overcrowded boats sink or when they are forced into the sea by smugglers to avoid detection by Yemeni authorities. This year alone, 385 people have lost their lives at sea and 118 are still missing according to the UNHCR. For further information, please contact: Bill Lorenz IOM Nairobi Tel: +254 20 4444167 E-mail: ""mailto:wlorenz@iom.int"" target=""_blank"" title= """">wlorenz@iom.int or Tal Raviv IOM Nairobi Tel: +254 20 4444167 E-mail: ""mailto:traviv@iom.int"" target=""_blank"" title= """">traviv@iom.int "