Pakistan, Oct. 12 -- At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, are dead after a boat carrying 305 people from Djibouti towards Yemen capsized near Guhere, north of Obock. Around 84 people remain missing, and only 82 survived. Search teams are still working along the coast while Djiboutian authorities tend to survivors and bury the dead.

These migrants were trying to enter Yemen just as Yemenis themselves were fleeing renewed fighting. More than 3,700 Yemenis have recently crossed to Djibouti, while displacement inside Yemen has surged to around 200,000. Yet in September alone, the International Organisation for Migration recorded 11,841 migrants arriving in Yemen, most hoping eventually to reach wealthier Gulf states.

The same stret...