WORLD / Africa
Smugglers toss Africa migrants overboard
(AP)
Updated: 2007-03-27 13:35
SAN`A, Yemen - Smugglers taking illegal migrants from Somalia to Yemen
forced hundreds of Africans overboard in stormy seas in an effort to make
a fast getaway from security forces, officials said Monday. Thirty-one
bodies have been found and nearly 90 people remained missing.
A general view shows the bay of Yemen's southern port of Aden, in 2006.
[Agencies]
Passengers who resisted the smugglers were stabbed or beaten with wooden
and steel clubs, then thrown into the water where some were attacked by
sharks, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said, citing survivors.
"Several recovered bodies showed signs of severe mutilation," UNHCR said.
"Survivors also reported that several Ethiopian women and at least one
Somali were raped and abused by the smugglers during the voyage from
Bosaso in Somalia's Puntland region. Survivors also alleged that some
Yemeni security forces confiscated their money once they reached shore."
Yemeni officials said several boats were involved in Thursday's incident.
The dead and missing came from a single wooden boat that was carrying
around 120 people, said an official from the local government in coastal
Shabwa province.
Eight bodies were found Thursday, and another 23 were taken out of water
over the past couple of days, said the official, who spoke on condition
of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.
Another 450 people forced out of other boats at the same time have been
rescued, he said. The UNHCR put the number of dead at 29, with 71 missing.
It was the latest case of smuggler brutality involving boats carrying
people across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia and the Horn of Africa. It
brings the total number of dead and missing among people trying to reach
Yemen so far this year to 264.
"We are horrified by this latest tragedy," said Erika Feller, the UNHCR's
assistant high commissioner for protection.
The victims are people "who are desperate to escape persecution, violence
and poverty in the Horn of Africa," she said.
A similar incident occurred on Saturday, when smugglers forced 140 people
into the water elsewhere along the coast. All the migrants were believed
to have been rescued, Yemeni officials said. Two other boats carrying 330
Somalis and Ethiopians arrived in Yemen on Saturday, but no casualties
were reported, the UNHCR said.
Since January 2006 at least 30,000 people have fled violence and hardship
in Somalia and Ethiopia for Yemen, according to UNHCR. About 500 people
have died and at least 300 are missing and believed dead.
Out of 88,000 registered refugees in Yemen, about 84,000 are Somali,
UNHCR said.
Top World News
� Israelis, Palestinians to resume talks
� Smugglers toss Africa migrants overboard
� Japan court rejects claims by WWII laborers
� Iran: Brit sailors may face charges
� Iran partially suspends nuke cooperation
Today's Top News
� Chinese gov't to invest 100 billion yuan in Tibet
� Hu, Putin promote partnership
� What women want: Self-fulfillment
� Iran softens stance on British sailors
� Abe apologises for WW2 sex slaves
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese, Chinese language, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment