From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Fri Dec 18 2009 - 11:37:41 EST
December 18, 2009
Ethiopians Dominate Flood Of Africans to Yemen
By REUTERS
*Filed at 8:22 a.m. ET*
GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 74,000 Africans fled to Yemen this year, a 50
percent increase over 2008 despite instability in the country, according to
figures issued on Friday by the Office of the
U.N.<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/united_nations/index.html?inline=nyt-org>High
Commissioner for Refugees.
Upheaval and economic strains in the Horn of Africa fueled a rise in
migrants paying smugglers and undertaking the hazardous sea crossing, said
UNHCR<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/united_nations_high_commission_for_refugees/index.html?inline=nyt-org>spokesman
Andrej Mahecic.
"In some cases they are beaten, raped, killed or just thrown overboard into
shark-infested waters," he said, describing the routes across the Gulf of
Aden and the Red Sea as "the busiest and the deadliest one in the world."
Many Africans make the dangerous journey to Yemen in the hope of finding
jobs in Saudi Arabia or further afield.
Yemen, which is fighting a Shi'ite rebellion in the north and separatist
unrest in the south, said its security forces backed by warplanes killed up
to 30 al Qaeda militants on Thursday. A security source said the operations
had foiled a planned series of suicide bombings.
Unlike in previous years, Somalis did not account for the majority of people
arriving in Yemen in 2009, despite fighting around their capital Mogadishu.
A total of 32,800 entered Yemen this year.
More than 42,000 Ethiopians, twice the number recorded in 2008, traveled to
Yemen but most went on to the Gulf states in search of jobs, Mahecic said.
Somalis are automatically granted refugee status on arrival in Yemen but
people from other countries including Ethiopia must have their status as
refugees determined before they can apply for asylum.
"The vast majority of Ethiopians did not approach the (UNHCR) reception
centres as they had no intent to seek asylum," Mahecic said. "However, we
believe that some of them may have avoided approaching the centres, fearing
arrest and detention."
A five-year-old drought which continued in 2009 has caused widespread hunger
in Ethiopia, which has a population of 83 million, along with other East
African countries [ID:nLM526117]
At least 309 people drowned or were killed during their sea voyage from the
Horn of Africa this year, down from 590 last year, although the UNHCR said
final figures on people who went missing in 2009 were not yet available.
(Editing by Stephanie Nebehay)
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