Saudi border guards have reportedly killed hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants in just 15 months.
Border Guards in Saudi Arabia Accused of Killing Ethiopian Immigrants
According to a new report released by Human Rights Watch, border guards in Saudi Arabia have been implicated in the deaths of hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants seeking refuge in the kingdom between March 2022 and June 2023. The report reveals that these immigrants, including women and children, were shot at close range, highlighting a new level of brutality.
A Perilous Journey
Fleeing conflict in their home country, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians have embarked on a dangerous journey through war-torn Yemen in an attempt to reach oil-rich Saudi Arabia, where they hoped to find better opportunities. However, upon arrival, they were met with unimaginable violence and cruelty.
“We were fired on repeatedly. I saw people killed in a way I have never imagined. I saw 30 killed people on the spot,” shared 14-year-old Hamdiya with the advocacy group. “I pushed myself under a rock and slept there. I could feel people sleeping around me. I realized what I thought were people sleeping around me were actually dead bodies. I woke up and I was alone.”
The journey itself is treacherous, not only due to the ongoing conflicts in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula but also because of the presence of smugglers who take advantage of desperate immigrants, committing atrocities along the way.
The BBC has also reported on the extreme violence and danger faced by immigrants traveling to Saudi Arabia. Immigrants have recounted having limbs severed by gunfire, witnessing bodies left on the trails, and being shot at while attempting to cross the border into the kingdom.
A Deliberate Escalation
While Human Rights Watch has previously accused Saudi Arabia of killing Ethiopian immigrants, the new report titled “They Fired on Us Like Rain” suggests that the documented killings represent a deliberate escalation in both the number and manner of targeted killings. The report also highlights the use of explosive weapons against immigrants.
With the Yemen Civil War ongoing for nearly a decade and viewed by many as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, violence in the region remains pervasive.
Scrutiny on Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Record
Saudi Arabia, an important partner of the United States due to its control of oil and influence in the Middle East and West Asia, has faced criticism for its alleged human rights abuses in the past. The murder of U.S. resident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sparked calls for the U.S. to denounce the Saudi leader and sever ties with the kingdom.
Despite these calls, the U.S. has maintained a working relationship with Saudi Arabia, leading many to view the kingdom’s human rights abuses as a stain on U.S. foreign policy.
The conflict in Ethiopia, involving various militias, the federal government, and the Eritrean military, has been ongoing since November 2020, primarily concentrated in the northernmost region, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
According to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration, over 200,000 people attempt the perilous journey across the sea from the Horn of Africa to Yemen and then onward to Saudi Arabia each year.
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