Soaring number of migrants trapped in Yemen face abuse and starvation, say NGOs

SANAA: The number of African migrants stranded in Yemen, many of whom endure “horrifying and brutal” violence while trapped there, is reaching critical levels, according to international NGOs and civil society organisations based in the Arab state.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) put out a warning this week about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, leading a call for urgent funding to support the “safe and voluntary return of migrants to their countries of origin”.

The intervention follows a number of fatal boat journeys last month from Djibouti, a major transit point for people leaving the Horn of Africa, many of whom are attempting to get to Saudi Arabia – the Arab world’s largest economy and the world’s third most popular destination for migrants.

“As migration flows continue to surge, the demand for safe and dignified return options for migrants has reached critical levels,” said Matt Huber, IOM’s acting chief of mission in Yemen. The IOM estimated there were 308,000 migrants in the country.

Mohammed Al-Selwi, the executive director of Yemeni rights group Mwatana for Human Rights, said the vast majority of Africans arriving in Yemen regarded it as a transit stop, yet many ended up stranded there.

“Here, they are subjected to horrifying and brutal violations by the feuding parties dividing Yemen,” he said. “Forms of abuse include murder, mutilation, forced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence.”

Ayan Ahmed was 16 years old when fighting in Ethiopia’s northern state of Tigray broke out three years ago between the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Her home town of Harar, 200 miles east of Addis Ababa, was far from the violence, but the impact still reached her: in a span of a year or so, she lost both parents to common illnesses which she said were fatal because the war had damaged the country’s health system, limiting access to treatment.