Hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers, mostly of Ethiopian origin, have been killed by Saudi guards as they tried to cross the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, a Human Rights Watch investigation reveals. The murders have been committed with shots and explosives, according to what the organization has been able to find out through the forensic analysis of hundreds of videos of the migrants themselves and the testimonies of survivors. Humanitarian organizations had previously denounced murders of migrants on the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, but the current investigation reflects an alarming increase in this type of practice. The Saudi authorities have denied the facts. The investigation focuses on abuses committed between March 2022 and June 2023, although this practice could be earlier, according to the organization.
HRW calls on the United Nations to investigate these deaths, which could constitute a crime against humanity. “Spending billions buying professional golf, soccer clubs and major entertainment events to improve Saudi Arabia’s image should not divert attention from these horrendous crimes,” said Nadia Hardman, a refugee and migrant rights researcher at HRW.
Dozens of testimonies reveal that they were attacked with mortar shells and other explosive weapons by Saudi border guards. “There are some people you can’t identify because their bodies are lying all over the place. Some people were split in half,” describes one testimony. Images taken by the migrants and verified by HRW show migrants killed or injured on the border trail.
Geospatial analysis also reveals increased movement of earth, believed to be buried bodies, near migrant camps and border security infrastructure. In some cases Saudi border guards asked the migrants which member to shoot and then shot them point blank. In others, they forced the men to rape girls and women at gunpoint, according to several testimonies. They also fired explosive weapons at migrants trying to flee back to Yemen. Survivors reported that they were sometimes held in detention centers for months, where they were beaten until they paid a supposed fee to get out of the centers.
“Saudi border guards knew or should have known that they were firing on unarmed civilians,” Hardman said. HRW calls on the Saudi authorities to “immediately and urgently revoke” any policy of using lethal force against migrants and asylum seekers, including attacking them with “explosive weapons and point-blank shooting.” The humanitarian organization is also calling for all Saudi security members responsible for the abuse, torture and killings of migrants to be investigated and brought to trial.
On the other hand, they also call for an independent investigation backed by the United Nations, to assess the scope of the abuses and find out if they constitute crimes against humanity. “If there is no justice for what appear to be serious crimes against Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers, it will only lead to more killings and abuses,” adds Hardman. In 2020, HRW denounced the abuse of hundreds of migrants from Ethiopia and other countries in Saudi deportation centers.
Some 750,000 Ethiopians live and work in Saudi Arabia, with the majority surviving by working without a contract and in the country irregularly. Most have left Ethiopia for economic reasons, but many are also fleeing the recent armed conflict in the north of the country.
