At least 56 boat people die while crossing Gulf of Aden: UNHCR / Smuggling and deaths resume in Gulf of Aden
Eight stories from today:
(See also the related UNHCR "briefing notes".)
From the AP...
At least 56 Africans have died in recent days trying to make the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden into Yemen, the U.N. refugee agency said [on] Friday.
Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said [that] hundreds of Somali, Ethiopian, and Sudanese have crammed into boats since the start of September, in an attempt to escape to the Arabian peninsula. Most were taken by smugglers.
Those who made it ashore told UNHCR monitors that people had died as the result of beatings, drowning, and simple overcrowding of the often-rickety vessels that travel between Somalia and Yemen, Redmond said.
"Many of them had been beaten, and some were reportedly doused with acid by the smugglers," he told reporters in Geneva, where UNHCR has its headquarters. "The bodies of those who did not survive the six-day ordeal were reportedly thrown overboard."
In one single journey, 24 people died, Redmond said.
He said [that] some 925 people, mostly from Ethiopia and Somalia, have arrived safely in Yemen since Sept. 3. At least 12 boats have arrived in that time.
The passengers told refugee monitors [that] they paid between US$70 and US$150 (€50 and €108) for the journey.
The smugglers often force passengers to disembark offshore [in order] to avoid Yemeni coast-guard patrols.
Redmond said [that] an Ethiopian who survived a recent voyage was injured after arrival.
"Once they reached shore, they came under fire from military forces," Redmond said, adding that UNHCR has raised the issue with Yemeni authorities, because it has received three or four reports of this kind.
Yemeni military contingents say [that] they fire at smugglers and not at the passengers, according to Redmond. He said [that] the latest case was still unclear.
At least 282 people have died and 159 have gone missing this year trying to crossing the Gulf of Aden.
Migrants from the Horn of Africa — particularly from Somalia, where ongoing violence between the U.N.-supported interim government and Islamic groups has caused thousands to flee their homes — regularly face abuse at the hands of smugglers.
Some are attacked during the journey and thrown overboard into shark-infested waters.
The high season for smuggling across the gulf usually runs from early September to May, when the sea is less stormy than during summer. Over 10,000 people have reportedly arrived in Yemen by boat this year, the agency said.
UNCHR has 25 officials in the northern Somali Puntland region carrying out an information campaign to warn people of the risks [that] they face at the hands of smugglers, Redmond said.
From DPA (also here and here)...
People smuggling had resumed in the Gulf of Aden with tragic consequences, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said [on] Friday.
Up to 56 people had died violently trying to make the crossing from Somalia to Yemen just 10 days after boats began running again at the end of several stormy months.
Since September 3, UNHCR in Yemen had recorded 12 boats arriving carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians, and others. One smugglers' boat failed to reach shore after encountering problems 100 kilometres west of Bosaso, Somalia. Around 100 Somalis had managed to make it back to shore in Somalia, after being adrift for six days.
'Many of them had been beaten, and some were reportedly doused with acid by the smugglers. The bodies of those who did not survive were thrown overboard,' said UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond.
Refugees arriving in Yemen had told UNHCR officials that 24 people on their boat had died, three as a result of beatings, 11 who had been crammed into the hold, and 10 who drowned in deep water trying to reach land. Most had fled fighting in Somalia and violence in Ogaden in Ethiopia. They had paid between 70 and 150 US dollars for the crossing.
UNHCR has carried out a series of awareness campaigns to warn people of the dangers of attempting the crossing.
'The problem is that it is very difficult to deter people who feel [that] they have nothing left to lose,' said Redmond.
From AFP...
At least fifty-six people have died while trying to make the perilous Gulf of Aden crossing from Somalia to Yemen, the UN refugee agency said [on] Friday.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond told journalists that a dozen boats carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians, and others fleeing growing violence and insecurity in the region had arrived in Yemen since September 3.
Another boat with 100 Somalis on board apparently failed to reach Yemen, after encountering problems during the voyage, and spent six days adrift in the shark-infested waters.
Those passengers who made it back to Somalia told the UNHCR that many of them had been beaten, with some reportedly doused with acid by the smugglers.
"The bodies of those who did not survive the six-day ordeal were reportedly thrown overboard. We do not have the numbers of those who died there," Redmond said.
Other recent arrivals in Yemen also spoke of the violence and hardships [that] they faced on their voyage, telling UNHCR officials [that] they had been beaten and that 24 of their number had died during the voyage -- three from beatings, 11 from being crammed into the boat's hold, and 10 who drowned in deep offshore waters.
The passengers said [that] they paid between 70 [and] 150 dollars (50-108 euros) to make the crossing. Upon arrival in Yemen, their sufferings did not stop, as they claimed [that] they then came under fire from military forces in the Jalbad region.
In 2006, nearly 29,000 people were recorded arriving in Yemen, with at least 328 people dying and 310 listed as missing.
From Reuters (also here)...
At least 56 Africans died trying to cross from Somalia to Yemen in the past 10 days, and others were beaten and doused with acid on a failed journey, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.
In its latest update on smuggling activity across the Gulf of Aden, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said [that] more than 10,000 people had arrived in Yemen so far in 2007, and [that] 282 died and 159 are presumed dead after the dangerous journey.
In one case, a vessel carrying at least 100 Somalis ran into trouble on the way to Yemen, and was adrift for six days, before returning to Somali shores.
"Many of them were beaten, and some were repeatedly doused with acid by the smugglers. The bodies of those who did not survive the six-day ordeal were reportedly thrown overboard," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond told a Geneva news briefing.
Smugglers usually operate in the Gulf of Aden from September to June. In 2006, nearly 29,000 people made the crossing to Yemen, at least 328 died and 310 were recorded as missing.
Aid agencies including the UNHCR are running an information campaign along Somalia's coast [in order] to warn people of the risks [that] they face [by] using smugglers.
At least 56 Africans have died violently, some reportedly beaten or doused with acid by smugglers, as the new season of people smuggling gathers steam across the Gulf of Aden in a perilous exodus that takes tens of thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians to Yemen every year, the United Nations refugee agency reported today [Friday].
In the past 10 days, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded the arrival of 12 boats carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians, and others. Another smuggler’s boat apparently failed to reach Yemen, after encountering problems about 100 kilometres west of Bosaso in Somalia’s Puntland region. The trafficking regularly resumes in September, after the summer’s storms subside.
At least 100 Somalis aboard one vessel reportedly made it back to shore in Somalia after being adrift for six days. “Many of them had been beaten, and some were reportedly doused with acid by the smugglers,” UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva. “The bodies of those who did not survive the six-day ordeal were reportedly thrown overboard. We do not have the numbers of those who died there.”
The most-recent arrivals in Yemen said [that] they had been beaten by smugglers during the trip, and [that] 24 people on their boat died – three from beatings, 11 who had been crammed into the hold, and 10 who drowned in deep waters offshore. Once they reached shore, they came under fire from Yemeni military forces, they told UNHCR.
The migrants, mostly from volatile areas in strife-torn Somalia and the increasingly unstable Ogaden zone in Ethiopia, said [that] they paid between $70 and $150 to make the crossing. Two Sudanese among the group said [that] they wanted to seek asylum in Yemen.
“The deaths in the Gulf of Aden are a reminder of the risks taken every year by thousands of people resorting to smugglers in the Gulf of Aden, the Mediterranean, and other waters,” Mr. Redmond declared, noting that in recent months international agencies working in Somalia had set up a joint task force to better address the problem.
UNHCR has scaled up its presence to some 25 staff in Somalia’s northern Puntland region, and is preparing as a first step, along with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), an information campaign to warn people of the risks they face in using smugglers.
Leaflets are being prepared for distribution by outreach teams all over Puntland and Somaliland, also in the north. Radio spots are being developed, and UNHCR is working on improving access to asylum and basic services inside Somalia for those in need of international protection. This could offer a safer alternative for refugees and internally displaced.
“While we are hoping that such measures will decrease the number of departures, they will be far from sufficient to bring the movement to a halt,” Mr. Redmond stressed. “Root causes like war, human-rights violations, persecution, and poverty force people to leave their homes, and unless these are properly addressed, the tragedy will continue.”
So far this year, more than 10,000 people have reportedly arrived in Yemen in 103 boats. At least 282 people died, and 159 remain missing and [are] presumed dead. In 2006, nearly 29,000 people were recorded arriving in Yemen in 237 boats, at least 328 died and 310 others were recorded as missing.
Somalis registered at the UNHCR’s reception centre in Yemen said [that] they left due to conflict, arbitrary killings, the threat of detention, drought, and lack of work. Somalis account for half the migrant flow, and most have fled conflict in southern and central parts of the country, including Mogadishu, the capital. There are nearly 90,000 registered refugees in Yemen, almost all of them Somalis.
The waters of the Gulf of Aden may be calmer this time of year. But they’re still extremely dangerous for Somalis and Ethiopians trying to make their way across to Yemen.
After two months of rough seas, conditions have improved in the gulf – and those wishing to cross are once again hiring to smugglers to do so. However, the UN refugee agency says [that] in the past 10 days alone, over 50 people have died violently at the hands of smugglers.
Astrid Van Genderen Stort is a spokesperson for the UNHCR. From Geneva, she spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua.
“The sailing season has resumed at the beginning of this month. I say [']sailing season['], but it’s really the smuggling season in the Gulf of Aden. And unfortunately, we’ve seen already a lot of deaths…at least 56 people have died in a brutal manner. Some people were stabbed. Some people were beaten. Some people died while being held, basically pushed together in the hold of the boat. Some people were forced overboard. Some people died trying to make it to shore, swimming,” she says.
Since September 3rd, the UNHCR estimates the arrival of 12 boats in Yemen carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians, and others. Another boat that left Bosaso in Somalia’s Puntland region drifted for six days, some 100 kilometers offshore, before returning. The agency says [that] many had serious health problems. One of the survivors said [that] smugglers forced him to drink acid.
“The smugglers are ruthless, as ruthless as they were last year. Unfortunately, nothing has changed there. All they care about, of course, is getting the money for the trip, and if you’re lucky you’ll actually make it to the other side. They pay an average of $70 to $150, and might not even make it to the other side,” she says.
But why hire smugglers, knowing how dangerous and dishonest they are? Van Genderen Stort says, “These are people who are leaving because they are desperate, desperate because they are living in very, very difficult circumstances in their countries or places of origin. Desperate because of the war, the violence that’s going on. A lot of people are coming from Somalia. There’s also a lot of them coming from Ethiopia, and we see that the situation there is getting much more difficult as well, especially in the Ogaden zone in Ethiopia. People just don’t have a choice. They have to leave…they cannot survive where they are.”
She says [that] the people have nothing to go back to. “They might as well risk their lives. If they lose it, well, that was the risk. But if they don’t, then there might be slight opportunities that their life might get better.[”]
The UNHCR and other agencies are running awareness campaigns to warn people of the dangers. So far this year, 10,000 people reportedly arrived in Yemen in 103 boats. More than 280 people have died, and about 160 are listed as missing.
The UN refugee agency reports [that] at least 56 people have died violently in the past few days, while trying to make the perilous crossing from Somalia to Yemen. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva that the agency says [that] these people met their death while crossing the Gulf of Aden in smugglers' boats.
The latest tragedies occurred some 10 days after the resumption of smuggling across the Gulf of Aden. The trafficking of humans across the strait stops between May and early September, because the sea is too rough and stormy.
Since the smuggling season resumed on September 3, the UN refugee agency has recorded the arrival of 12 boats in Yemen carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians, and others.
The agency says [that] one smuggler's boat that failed to reach Yemen encountered problems about 100 kilometers west of Bosaso, in Somalia's Puntland region.
UN refugee spokesman, Ron Redmond, says [that] the agency received reports [on] Thursday that at least 100 Somalis aboard the vessel made it back to shore in Somalia, after being adrift for six days.
"Many of them had been beaten, and some were reportedly doused with acid by the smugglers," he said. "The bodies of those who did not survive the six-day ordeal were reportedly thrown overboard. We do not have the numbers of those who died in that incident. The most-recent arrivals in Yemen told us that they were beaten by smugglers during the trip, and that 24 people on their boat had died, three as a result of beatings; 11 who had been crammed into the hold of the boat; and 10 who drowned in deep waters offshore."
Redmond says [that] some refugees reported that once they reached Yemen, they came under fire from military forces based in the Yemeni region of Jalbad. Redmond says [that] one Ethiopian was wounded and [was] transferred to a medical facility by the UNHCR.
He says [that] most of the passengers are from volatile areas in Somalia and the increasingly unstable Ogaden zone of Ethiopia. He says [that] they paid between $70 and $150 to make the dangerous crossing.
He says [that] the UNHCR and other aid agencies have been running information campaigns aimed at warning people of the risks [that] they face in using smugglers.
"We have had instances where people have decided not to go. But, the vast majority still think [that] it is worth the risk, because they are coming from areas of persecution, conflict, violence, ethnic strain, and economic hardship," he added. "And, so convincing people like that, who think [that] they have nothing left to lose, is very, very difficult."
The UNHCR reports [that] so far this year, more than 10,000 people have arrived in Yemen in 103 boats. It says [that] a total of 282 people died, while 159 remain missing and [are] presumed dead.
At least 56 people have lost their lives trying to make the perilous Gulf of Aden crossing from Somalia to Yemen since the full resumption of the current sailing season in early September, according to figures compiled by the UN refugee agency.
Since September 3, UNHCR Yemen has recorded the arrival of 12 boats carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians, and others. Two or three other boats were reported to have crossed the Gulf of Aden from mid to late August, but annual bad weather between June and the end of last month kept most smugglers off the high seas.
Another smuggler's boat making the crossing this month apparently failed to reach Yemen, after encountering problems about 100 kilometres west of Bossaso in northern Somalia's Puntland region.
UNHCR received reports on Thursday that at least 100 Somalis aboard this vessel made it back to shore in Somalia, after being adrift for six days. Many of them had been beaten, and some were reportedly doused with acid by the smugglers. The bodies of those who did not survive the six-day ordeal were reportedly thrown overboard, but figures were not available.
People on the last of the 12 boats to reach Yemen since September 3 told UNHCR staff earlier this week that they were beaten by smugglers during the trip and that 24 people had died – three as a result of beatings; 11 after being crammed into the hold of the boat; and 10 from drowning in waters offshore.
UNHCR questioning of earlier arrivals determined that at least another 32 people on three of the boats had lost their lives during crossings this month.
The survivors of the last boat also claimed that once they reached shore, they came under fire from military forces based in Yemen's Jalbad region. One Ethiopian was wounded and [was] transferred for medical assistance by UNHCR.
The passengers – most of them from volatile areas in Somalia and the increasingly unstable Ogaden region in Ethiopia – said [that] they paid between US$70 and US$150 to make the crossing. There were also two Sudanese among the group, and they expressed a desire to seek asylum in Yemen.
The deaths in the Gulf of Aden are a reminder of the risks taken every year by thousands of people resorting to smugglers in the Gulf of Aden, the Mediterranean and other waters. In recent months, international agencies working in Somalia have joined forces and [have] set up a task force to better address the problem.
UNHCR has scaled up its presence to some 25 staff in Somalia's Puntland, and is preparing as a first step – with partners like the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – an information campaign aimed at warning people of the risks [that] they face in using smugglers.
Leaflets are being prepared for dissemination by outreach teams all over Puntland and Somaliland. Radio spots are developed as well. At the same time, UNHCR is working on improving access to asylum and basic services inside Somalia for those in need of international protection. This could offer a safer alternative for refugees and internally displaced.
UNHCR hopes [that] such measures will decrease the number of departures, but believes that they will be far from sufficient to bring the movement to a halt. Root causes like war, human-rights violations, persecution and poverty force people to leave their homes, and unless these are properly addressed, the tragedy will continue.
So far in 2007, more than 10,000 people have reportedly arrived in Yemen, in 103 boats. A total of 282 people died, while 159 remain missing and [are] presumed dead. In 2006, nearly 29,000 people were recorded arriving in Yemen, in 237 boats. At least 328 people died and 310 were recorded as missing last year.
Comments