African immigrants forcibly drowned [Archives:2006/945/Front Page]
Amel Alariqi
SANA'A, May 9 – At least 39 African immigrants drowned and 212 others are missing after smugglers forced them jump from a boat at gunpoint off Yemen's southern coast, said The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday 8 May 2006.
The victims were part of a group of illegal immigrants of 349 Ethiopians and Somalis crossing from Somalia to Yemen on three boats. Most of the dead were Ethiopians, according to UNHCR.
Ninety-eight people made it to the shore, and 39 bodies were found near Belhaf on the southern coast of Yemen on Sunday, UNHCR said in a statement which did not mention any information on the whereabouts of the remaining people from the boats.
One of the survivors told UNHCR staff in Yemen on Sunday that three smuggling boats carrying some 349 Somalis and Ethiopians had set off from Somalia to Yemen. However, one of the boats developed mechanical problems, but assisted by the smugglers on the other two boats managed to cross the Gulf. Close to the Yemeni shore, the faster two boats rushed ahead in an attempt to avoid the coast guards, and quickly dropped their passengers off. The smugglers on the third boat, however, could not get close to shore. Not wanting to be left behind with a broken boat, they forced all the passengers overboard at gunpoint.
“The boat was still in deep sea when they were thrown overboard and only those who could swim managed to reach safety,” said UNHCR field officer Mohammed Godboudin, in Yemen. “At least 39 people drowned. The bodies were picked up by our staff and buried in a traditional ceremony on the spot.”
The 98 survivors are staying at UNHCR's Mayfa'a reception centre for two to three days, until they recuperate and feel ready to continue their journey. They are being provided with meals and medical assistance. The new arrivals also receive temporary registration forms to serve as ID documents to help them at police check points.
Yemen, one of the few countries in the region to have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, has been generous in receiving refugees. There are currently more than 80,000 registered refugees in Yemen, of which 75,000 are Somalis who have arrived since civil strife began in Somalia in 1991.
These refuges-particular Somalis- are given prima-facie refugee status upon arrival in Yemen. They can choose to stay in Kharaz refugee camp close to Aden, presently home to 8,525 Somalis and some 800 Ethiopians.
Yearly, thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians suffering poverty and insecurity in their homeland, including refugees trying to escape persecution and violence, fall prey to smugglers in the hope of reaching Yemen, from where many seek to make their way into Europe.
Some of these refugees, have set off in little open fishing boats hoping to reach Yemen, from there many want to move on to work illegally in Saudi Arabia or in the Gulf States. As crossing the sea becomes more dangerous with rougher seas and smuggling boats stop sailing due to technical breakdowns,many of those immigrants drown each year.
Despite the dangers, smugglers still find many migrants wanting to immigrate via smuggling.
From September 2005 until April 2006, a total of 241 boats arrived from Somalia in Yemen an average of 30 boats a month. Several hundreds of people died during these trips. Therefore UNHCR repeatedly calls for international efforts to address the problem of smuggling and minimize the number of innocent victims.
UNHCR has been working closely with the authorities in Puntland, in where Bossaso, the chief commercial port and which is considered one of the world's busiest smuggling hubs- to inform people about the dangers of using smugglers to cross the Gulf of Aden. In January, the UN refugee agency also produced a video and radio program to raise awareness among Somalis and Ethiopians of the risks involved in such crossings. At the same time, it has called on donors to support the international community in its efforts to improve protection and assistance to internally displaced persons in Puntland who live in very difficult circumstances.
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