HRW Report: Hundreds of Ethiopian migrants were killed by Saudi border guards along the Yemeni border

In a study issued on Monday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Saudi border guards murdered at least hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who attempted to cross the Yemen-Saudi border between March 2022 and June 2023. In a report titled “‘They Fired on Us Like Rain’: Saudi Arabian Mass Killings of Ethiopian Migrants at the Yemen-Saudi Border,” it was discovered that Saudi border guards had shot other migrants at close range while also using explosive weapons to kill numerous migrants in what appeared to be a pattern of attacks.

Surprisingly, Saudi border officials sometimes asked refugees which limb to aim at before shooting them at close range. The 73-page study claims that Saudi border guards also used explosive devices on migrants who were seeking to return to Yemen.

“Saudi officials are killing hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers in this remote border area out of view of the rest of the world,” said Nadia Hardman, a researcher at HRW who specializes in migrant and refugee rights. Spending billions to acquire elite football, golf, and entertainment venues in order to boost Saudi Arabia’s reputation should not divert attention from these heinous acts.

The rights organization located in New York claimed to have spoken with 42 persons, including 38 Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who attempted to cross the Yemen-Saudi border between March 2022 and June 2023, as well as 4 friends or family members of those individuals. In addition, the crew is believed to have examined several hundred square kilometers of satellite images, as well as over 350 videos and pictures that were either uploaded to social media or collected from other sources.

The Saudi and Houthi authorities have received a letter from HRW, according to the statement.In Saudi Arabia, there are around 750,000 Ethiopians that are employed. Despite the fact that most migrants leave for economic reasons, others have left Ethiopia due to grave violations of human rights, particularly those that occurred during the recent and horrific armed war in the north.

Although HRW has recorded migrant deaths at the Saudi and Yemeni borders since 2014, the organization claims that the deaths seem to be a purposeful uptick in both the quantity and style of targeted assassinations.

According to migrants and asylum seekers interviewed by HRW, they traveled to Saada governorate, which is now controlled by the Houthi rebel group and is located near the Saudi border, in unsafe boats after crossing the Gulf of Aden. Many said that Houthi soldiers collaborated with traffickers and would threaten them or send them to what migrants described as detention facilities where they would be mistreated until they could pay a “exit fee.”

Up to 200 migrants would often attempt to cross the border into Saudi Arabia, sometimes making many efforts after Saudi border officials turned them away. Groups of travelers reported being targeted after they reached the border by mortar rounds and other explosive weapons fired by Saudi border guards. 28 cases involving explosive weapons use by Saudi border guards were recounted by those surveyed.

People traveling in smaller groups or on their own said in the report that Saudi border guards armed with rifles fired at them after they crossed the Yemen-Saudi border. People have also said that guards hit them with metal rods and rocks. Fourteen people who participated in the interview either saw or were shot at close range. Six people were the targets of both gunfire and explosive devices.

Following the shocking revelation, HRW has urged Saudi Arabia to immediately repeal any policies that call for the use of deadly force against refugees and migrants. These policies may be de facto or explicit.The rights organization also urged the government to look into security officers who had carried out wrongful executions along the Yemeni border. The organization also demanded a UN-backed probe to examine mistreatment of migrants and determine if murders qualify as crimes against humanity.