UN reports widespread abuses and forced deportation of African migrants in Houthi-controlled areas.
The United Nations has confirmed that African refugees are subjected to various forms of human rights abuses by the Houthi rebels, including forced deportation to areas controlled by the Yemeni government. In a related grim statistic, it was reported that 1,860 migrants lost their lives on the perilous journey from the Horn of Africa to Yemen over the past year.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen, in a report on the humanitarian developments in the country, stated that the Houthis in Sanaa and the Saada governorate have deported thousands of African migrants towards Aden, which serves as the temporary capital for the internationally recognized government.
The report further added that the migrants are detained and subjected to human rights violations in areas under Houthi control before being forcibly sent to government-held areas. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of African migrants being deported from Houthi territories to Aden, where approximately 5,000 migrants find themselves stranded.
The number of African migrants stuck in Yemen has recently surged, with more than 14,000 individuals across three governorates under government control, including 5,000 in Aden, 4,500 in Marib, and an equal number in Shabwa province. These migrants are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and are awaiting safe repatriation to their home countries.
Following a deadly fire in one of the detention centers, which resulted in numerous fatalities, Houthi militias have launched successive campaigns to deport African migrants from their territories to areas under government control. Yemeni government sources allege that the Houthis offer migrants a grim choice: join their ranks to fight or face forced deportation to government-controlled areas, where they are transported in deplorable conditions akin to those used for animals and abandoned at the outskirts of these areas.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has called on countries to provide regular migration pathways to ensure safe migration. Since the beginning of the year, the Missing Migrants Project has recorded 1,860 deaths and disappearances along the perilous route from East Africa and the Horn of Africa to Yemen, including 480 individuals who drowned.
The IOM encourages countries to adopt regional strategies to better manage migration, offering assistance to individuals regardless of their status. In partnership with 48 other humanitarian and development organizations, as well as governments, the IOM is working to address these challenges.
The organization also reminded that the route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen is one of the busiest and most dangerous mixed migration routes in the world, frequented by hundreds of thousands of migrants, most of whom undertake irregular journeys. Despite the ongoing conflict in Yemen, thousands of migrants continue to cross into the country, hoping to reach the Gulf states.
In the first half of the current year, the Displacement Tracking Matrix noted the arrival of over 10,300 migrants in Yemen, marking an 87% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. The significant increase in migrant flow is attributed to the ongoing conflict in East African countries, particularly Ethiopia and Somalia, and the worsening security, humanitarian, and economic conditions, coupled with the lifting of COVID-19 related movement restrictions. Most migrants aim to reach the Gulf states in search of employment but face violations and extreme difficulties in Yemen, with very limited access to basic services such as shelter, food, water, and healthcare.
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