Saudi border guards have been accused of firing on Ethiopian migrants attempting to cross into the country from Yemen, resulting in hundreds of deaths, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued on Monday. The alleged human rights abuses indicate a significant increase in violence along the perilous route from the Horn of Africa to Saudi Arabia, where hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live and work.
A young woman in her twenties from Ethiopia’s Oromia region, who was interviewed by HRW, recounted the incident where Saudi border guards opened fire on a group of migrants they had just released from custody. She tearfully said, “They fired on us like rain. When I remember, I cry…I saw a guy calling for help, he lost both his legs. He was screaming, saying, ‘Are you leaving me here? Please don’t leave me.’ We couldn’t help him because we were running for our lives.”
HRW researcher Nadia Hardman described the situation, stating, “Saudi officials are killing hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers in this remote border area out of view of the rest of the world.” She added, “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.”
The Saudi government source responded to the allegations, dismissing them as unreliable. The source stated, “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.”
HRW has been documenting abuses against Ethiopian migrants in Saudi Arabia and Yemen for almost a decade. The latest killings appear to be “widespread and systematic” and may constitute crimes against humanity, according to the rights group. The United Nations also reported “concerning allegations” last year, stating that Saudi Arabia security forces had killed around 430 migrants through cross-border shelling and small-arms fire.
Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement last year to repatriate Ethiopians, with around 100,000 citizens expected to be sent home. HRW’s report claimed that there was no response to letters sent to Saudi officials seeking clarification on the issue.
The Houthi rebels in control of northern Yemen alleged that the border guards engaged in “deliberate killings of immigrants and Yemenis” in response to HRW’s letter. The rights group also mentioned migrants’ reports of extortion and abuse by Houthi forces until they paid an “exit fee”.
Yemen’s war, which began in 2015, has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with millions relying on aid. The HRW report drew from interviews with 38 Ethiopian migrants, as well as satellite imagery, videos, and social media posts to investigate the abuses. It claimed that survivors described attacks at close range, with border guards asking victims which limb they preferred to be shot in. The report also recounted incidents of rape and beatings with rocks and iron bars.
HRW called on Saudi Arabia to cease using lethal force on migrants and asylum seekers and urged the United Nations to conduct its own investigation into the alleged killings.