KILLINGS OF HUNDREDS OF ETHIOPIAN MIGRANTS BY SAUDI BORDER GUARDS

ACCORDING TO AN NGO

Human Rights Watch has found that Saudi border guards have killed "hundreds" of Ethiopian migrants since last year trying to enter the wealthy Gulf monarchy through its border with Yemen, 21 August 2023 Human Rights Watch (HRW). Nadia Hardman, a migration expert at HRW, said in a statement that "Saudi authorities are carrying out these killings with impunity, hidden in this isolated border area, out of sight of the outside world."

The NGO relies on interviews with 38 migrants who tried to enter Saudi Arabia from Yemen. They refer to the presence of “explosive weapons”, point-blank fire from Saudi border guards who ask Ethiopians “what part of their body they would prefer to be shot at”.

Survivors tell how they were taken to detention camps, beaten with stones.

Satellite images, videos and photos published on social networks "or collected from other sources" support the testimonies of the Ethiopians. You can see people fleeing through the mountains, some are injured.

The "widespread and systematic" murder of Ethiopian migrants could even constitute a crime against humanity, HRW believes.
The billions of dollars allocated to sports and entertainment aimed at "improving the image of Saudi Arabia" must in no way relegate the attention paid to "these horrific crimes", she urged. underlines.

The government in Riyadh is frequently criticized by non-governmental organizations, which accuses it of diverting attention to major sporting events and cultural events, in order to hide the serious human rights violations as well as the humanitarian crisis prevailing in Yemen. , where the Saudi army is engaged.

The "widespread and systematic" murder of Ethiopian migrants could even constitute a crime against humanity, believes the NGO.

The Saudi authorities dispute the facts reported by the NGO.

Last year, the UN reported cross-border artillery fire and small arms fire by Saudi security forces killing 430 migrants in southern Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen during the four first months of 2022.