The site of lonely figures in the burning desert are some of the tens of thousands of East African migrants and refugees — mainly from Ethiopia and Somalia — who head north, braving the dangers of war-torn Yemen in search of a better life in Saudi Arabia. They arrive on Yemen's south coast in rickety boats from smuggling ports in Djibouti and Somalia before beginning the long and dangerous trek through the war-torn country. Many are detained and held for ransom as distant families in Africa scrabble to wire funds for their release. Despite the risks,some 38,000 landed in Yemen during 2020
