The crisis of Somali fugitives to Yemen [Archives:2006/918/Reportage]
Walid Jubran
When the Somali civil war broke out in 1991, most of the Somalis fled to neighbouring countries, such as Kenya and Yemen where they remained as refugees. Since then, a great number of Somalis has illegally infiltrated into Yemen without being registered, for there are many outlets along the coastline which the guard coast authorities cannot control.
Mr. Abdul-Malik Aboud, head of the Foreign Affairs in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) premises in Yemen, says controlling all the outlets along the Yemeni coastline is very difficult for Yemeni authorities. He adds that there are fourteen outlets through which Somalis infiltrate into Yemen, while the Yemeni authorities are unaware of such outlets. Moreover, the UNHCR premises in Yemen confessed that number of Somali refugees in Yemen has reached to some 78,000, while three years ago there were around 49,000 Somali refugees.
The problem here, however, is that there is no precise statistics of Somalis living actually in Yemen. That is mainly because most of them do not register at the reception centers, fearing they would be arrested over their infiltrating to Yemen.
Here, the UNHCR register refugees arrive to Yemen at two main reception centers: one is located in Maefa'a (Aden governorate) and the other in Bi'r Ali (Shabwa governorate).
Observers concerned with this issue state the huge influx of Somalis to Yemen has increased after the UNHCR announced there are sex reception centers for registering refugees all over Yemen.
Risks
When infiltrating into Yemen, Somalis risk their life. They are subject to death and piracy in consequence. Along the Somali coastline, there are smugglers who use boats to help Somalis infiltrate into other neighbouring countries namely Yemen. Mr. Aboud described those smugglers as “death traders who have no conscience”.
Some refugees say one has to pay $30-50 in order to be brought to Yemeni coastline. Here smugglers put 90-100 persons in one boat. “As we get ready and set out our voyage, smugglers do not allow anyone aboard to move so that the boat remains in balance. Even they may shot anyone who moves,” said a Somali refugee.
Sometimes they are subject to death as their boat capsizes. A month ago, seventy Somalis were reported dead when their boat capsized near Shabwa coast. Yemeni authorities announced thereafter that they could lift 70 dead Somalis who tried to infiltrate into Yemen. Sourced affirmed the total number of those who were on that boat was 110, and that only three managed to survive.
Status of Yemen and Somalis
Yemen has now a big challenge as many Somalis still infiltrate into the country. This has effect at the economic and social level of Yemen. But however difficult this may seem, the Yemeni government is still committed to helping and providing shelter for all the refugees. Undoubtedly, Yemen is a developing country, where the economic, social, health and educational sectors need much effort to be improved.
The existence of Somalis in this poor country brings about obstacles before it.
The government, in this regard, has to provide them with facilities, especially health aids. At first, those arrive to Yemen and register at the reception centers should undergo medical examinations to make sure they do not have infectious diseases, and this in fact costs the government much. Not only this, much attention has to be paid to the outlets through which Somalis infiltrate into Yemen so that authorities can curb the illegal infiltrations to Yemen.
With regard to the status of Somalis in Yemen, most of them live under poverty. They survive their lives by begging and menial jobs. Their children are therefore deprived of education.
Some of them live camps under UNHCR protection. There they receive monthly food items form WFP which is not enough (every single person receives 9 kg of wheat flour, 750 gm of vegetable oil, 1.8 kg of pulses, and 500 gm of sugar, 4.5 kg of rice).
These difficult situations they live in led many of them seek resettlement in a third country, namely USA or Canada. On December 17 of last year, four Somali refugees and one child were killed during clashes with Yemeni security forces that rushed to break up a sit-in outside the office of the UNHCR in the capital Sana'a. Five others were also hurt, one of them died in the hospital. Police detained 25 others.
Thus is the life Somalis refugees in Yemen, who demand a better life similar to other refugees in other countries.
Walid Jubran is a Yemeni journalist.
——
[archive-e:918-v:14-y:2006-d:2006-02-06-p:report]
