Key takeaways:
- Border guards in Saudi Arabia have been accused of firing machine guns and launching mortars at unarmed Ethiopians attempting to cross into the kingdom from Yemen.
- The report suggests that the death toll could be “possibly thousands.”
- Human Rights Watch is calling on Saudi Arabia to investigate the allegations and hold those responsible for the killings accountable.
Saudi Arabia Border Guards Accused of Killing Hundreds of Unarmed Migrants
Border guards in Saudi Arabia have been accused of firing machine guns and launching mortars at unarmed Ethiopians attempting to cross into the kingdom from Yemen, likely killing hundreds of migrants in recent years, according to a report released Monday by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The report cites eyewitness accounts of attacks by Saudi troops and images of dead bodies and burial sites on migrant routes, suggesting that the death toll could be “possibly thousands.” The United Nations has already questioned Saudi Arabia about its troops opening fire on the migrants in an escalating pattern of attacks along its southern border with war-torn Yemen.
One 20-year-old woman from Ethiopia’s Oromia region, interviewed by HRW, said Saudi border guards opened fire on a group of migrants they had just released from custody. The woman said, “They fired on us like rain.”
The allegations, described as “unfounded” by a Saudi government source, point to a significant escalation of abuses along the perilous route from the Horn of Africa to Saudi Arabia, where hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live and work.
Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press, but has previously denied its troops killed migrants. Human Rights Watch is calling on Saudi Arabia to investigate the allegations and hold those responsible for the killings accountable. The rights group is also urging the Saudi government to ensure that its border guards respect the rights of migrants and refugees.
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