'Like rain': Saudi forces killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants - HRW

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Human Rights Watch
21 Aug 2023 14:06
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The Human Rights Watch says hundreds of Ethiopian migrants were killed by Saudi border guards through direct fire and shelling since last year.

Screengrab from a Human Rights Watch video showing Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers in Yemen heading toward the Saudi border (HRW)

Hundreds of Ethiopian migrants, or possibly "thousands", have been killed by Saudi border guards since 2022, who opened fire "like rain" on the civilians trying to cross through Yemen into the Kingdom to escape the atrocities of regional wars, Human Rights Watch said in a report Monday.

"Saudi officials are killing hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers in this remote border area out of view of the rest of the world," HRW researcher Nadia Hardman said.

While Riyadh said the claims were "unfounded", previous similar incidents that have been documented suggest that inhumane practices against migrants are a frequent occurrence.

Footage from November 2022 of Ethiopian migrants killed by Saudi border guards (Social media)

Ethiopian migrants said they came across Ansar Allah members on their journey, but they were only targeted by Saudi forces.

The organization said, "Such killings would be crimes against humanity" if they are both "widespread and systematic" and are part of a "state policy of deliberate murder of a civilian population."

"Spending billions buying up professional golf, football clubs, and major entertainment events to improve the Saudi image should not deflect attention from these horrendous crimes," Hamdan added, referring to the sportswashing campaign that Saudi Arabia has engaged in recently.

A Saudi unnamed official told AFP, "The allegations included in the Human Rights Watch report about Saudi border guards shooting Ethiopians while they were crossing the Saudi-Yemeni border are unfounded and not based on reliable sources."

UN experts reported last year that "concerning allegations" emerged regarding "cross-border artillery shelling and small-arms fire by Saudi Arabia security forces killed approximately 430 migrants" in a border area between the southern part of the Kingdom and northern Yemen in just the last quarter of 2022.

The United Nations has previously described the situation in Yemen, which was caused by an ongoing Saudi-led aggression since 2015, as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The HRW report was based on direct testimonials provided by 38 Ethiopian migrants who were trying to cross into Saudi Arabia, in addition to satellite images, social media photos and videos, and "other sources".

"All interviewees described scenes of horror: women, men, and children strewn across the mountainous landscape severely injured, dismembered, or already dead," the report said, adding that migrants described 28 "explosive weapons incidents," including artillery shelling.

Some survivors described attacks at close range, with Saudi border guards asking Ethiopians "in which limb of their body they would prefer to be shot," the report said.

“I know 90 people were killed, because some returned to that place to pick up the dead bodies – they counted around 90 dead bodies," another migrant said.

A 20-year-old woman said the border guards opened direct fire on a number of Ethiopian migrants directly after they were released from custody.

"They fired on us like rain. When I remember, I cry," she said.

"I saw a guy calling for help, he lost both his legs. He was screaming; he was saying, 'Are you leaving me here? Please don't leave me'. We couldn't help him because we were running for our lives."

The international organization called on Saudi Arabia to "immediately and urgently revoke" any policy of using lethal force on migrants and asylum seekers, "including targeting them with explosive weapons and close-range attacks."

HRW called for a UN investigation "into the alleged killings and abuses against migrants and asylum seekers" and urged concerned governments to demand that Riyadh puts an "end to this policy."

Human Rights Watch also called called "on organizers and participants in major international events sponsored" by Saudi Arabia to "speak out publicly on rights issues" and not participate in whitewashing the Kingdom's human rights record.