Migrant voices - Ethiopians in Yemen describe kidnapping and torture

(11 April 2013, (SANA’A), (IRIN))--Record numbers of migrants from the Horn of Africa are crossing into Yemen, most of them on their way to find better opportunities in Saudi Arabia and other rich Gulf countries. But many do not make it any further. Seeking a new life, they end up unwitting victims of a smuggling racket designed to exploit the migrants at each juncture of their journey.

Photo: J.Björgvinsson/UNHCR

Exhausted survivors of the Gulf of Aden crossing wait for help on a beach in Yemen

Recent years have seen Ethiopians make up the majority of these migrants: Of the 107,000 recorded migrants crossing the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden into Yemen in 2012, around 80,000 were from Ethiopia.

Four irregular migrants with diverse backgrounds, all from Ethiopia, told IRIN about their journeys to Yemen.* While their stories differ in details, they all share a similar set of experiences: brutality, broken promises and extortion. Read more from Humanitarian News and Analysis »

Related topics:
The Road to Yemen : The Dangerous Journey of Ethiopian Refugees
Ethiopian migrants kidnapped, tortured, raped in Yemen
Being black is no joy for Somalians and Ethiopians in Yemen
ሕገወጥ የሰዎች ዝውውርና አስከፊ ገጽታው
ተስፋ ቢሱ ጉዞ !  

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