( CNN ) -- Intensifying violence , food shortages and widespread drought are driving an increasing number of Somalis to seek asylum in Yemen , the United Nations ' refugee agency said Tuesday . A man brandishes a knife while others carry old notes during a demonstration against record-high inflation . More than 15,000 refugees have arrived in the Yemeni port city of Aden since January , compared with 7,166 people in the first four months of 2007 , according to a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees . Many of those seeking asylum brave treacherous boat trips across the Gulf of Aden . Consequently , the number of boats landing in Aden has jumped from 60 to 361 since January while the number of fatalities has remained constant , according to UNHCR . The agency attributed the surge to strife in Somalia , where riots continued in the capital city of Mogadishu for the second day Tuesday . According to news reports , Somali soldiers killed at least two people Monday during the protests over rising food prices . Watch protesters take to the streets » . Somali refugees pay as much as $ 150 to cross the Gulf of Aden in search of asylum . Because of its proximity to the war-torn country , Yemen is a common destination for Somalis fleeing economic hardship , famine and war . Yemen is also an attractive location because Somalis receive automatic refugee status in the fellow Muslim country . New smuggling routes across the Red Sea have also led to increased numbers of refugees in Yemen , according to the UNHCR . Refugees often die before reaching Yemen because of dangerous sea conditions and overcrowded vessels . Others die at the hands of their smugglers , who order the passengers to jump overboard when the Yemeni coast guard approaches the vessel . Yemen 's coast guard stepped up patrols of its coastline this year in an attempt to deter smugglers , according to the UNHCR , which operates shelters and reception centers for refugees in Yemen . The coast guard has also seized boats and given them Somali fishermen affected by the 2004 tsunami .
Agency attributes surging number of refugees in Yemen to unrest in Somalia . More than 15,000 refugees have come to port city of Aden since January . New routes across the Red Sea to Yemen also contributing to increase .