Coronavirus restrictions and higher drowning rates are reversing the flow for some refugees headed back into the Horn of Africa. Many have reached Yemen to face further hardships there, where war also wages, or get sent there or back to Ethiopia by other countries fearing the spread of COVID 19. Around 1,000 Ethiopian refugees have gone back, while more than 32,000 migrants remain stranded in Yemen.
This situation makes it much more important for Europe to get their population vaccinated so they can lift travel bans. This will in turn help refugees everywhere get to safety, rather than being forced to turn back, or caught in further turmoil.