![[Yemen] Aiban Mohammed Abdulle [right] with his brother and father Mohammed Abdalle Gidow. [Date picture taken: 10/26/2006]](https://assets.thenewhumanitarian.org/s3fs-public/styles/responsive_large_2x/public/images/200610267.jpg.webp?itok=nS3QL01k "Aiban Mohammed Abdulle [right] with his brother and father Mohammed Abdalle Gidow survived a harrowing journey across the Gulf of Aden.")
The flow of desperate people crossing the Gulf of Aden by boat from Somalia to Yemen is continuing despite a recent crackdown against human smuggling in some parts of north-eastern Somalia's Puntland region, according to a recent report by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
This perilous journey in the cramped conditions of smugglers’ boats claims hundreds of lives every year. Passengers on board are reported to be beaten and sometimes thrown into the sea by smugglers.
More than 5,700 people have arrived in 56 boats from Somalia since the start of improved sailing weather in early September, the UNHCR report says. Of these, 64 have died and 62 people are still missing, according to Yemeni authorities and passengers.
IRIN spoke to three Somali refugees who arrived in Yemen by boat in the past two weeks.
Ismael Mahmud Abdille, 37
“Smugglers put us on the boat as if we were cattle or sheep for 48 hours non-stop until we arrived on Yemeni shores. The owners of the boat forced us to remain still, without making any movement, for fear the boat would capsize. They beat us whenever we tried to move our bodies. They beat us several times for that reason. What was worst for me was that I was unable to urinate. That was the hardest torture.
“When I was on board, I thought I wouldn't arrive peacefully. Now, I feel I live in a situation worse than before. I know no one here. I can't understand the Arabic language. I have nothing to do. I need to go back.”
Mohammed Abdalle Gidow, 33
“There were 125 people in the boat including me. It was very cramped. I can't speak of all the problems as they were very dismal. We had nothing to eat or drink. They [the owners of the boat] beat us harshly. They threw two young men into the sea after beating them. They threw them as they knew they were dying. At that moment I thought I wouldn’t live any longer. I thought I would follow those two men. They also beat me as I tried to care for my two children.
“Now I am in Yemen, but I found no difference [to my situation in Somalia], save one. And that one is peace, which we were looking for. In fact, I prefer to live in my country as I don't have any job here. I need to feed my children, rent a house, but I can't here.”
Aiban Mohammed Abdulle, 5
“I was scared on the boat. Some men were grabbing me and making me sit down. They beat me, asking me not to move. They were hitting other people around me, including my father. I was crying. I was very hungry and thirsty. They gave us nothing. I was very afraid at that time. I still feel afraid. I am afraid of the sea.”
maj/ed
This perilous journey in the cramped conditions of smugglers’ boats claims hundreds of lives every year. Passengers on board are reported to be beaten and sometimes thrown into the sea by smugglers.
More than 5,700 people have arrived in 56 boats from Somalia since the start of improved sailing weather in early September, the UNHCR report says. Of these, 64 have died and 62 people are still missing, according to Yemeni authorities and passengers.
IRIN spoke to three Somali refugees who arrived in Yemen by boat in the past two weeks.
Ismael Mahmud Abdille, 37
“Smugglers put us on the boat as if we were cattle or sheep for 48 hours non-stop until we arrived on Yemeni shores. The owners of the boat forced us to remain still, without making any movement, for fear the boat would capsize. They beat us whenever we tried to move our bodies. They beat us several times for that reason. What was worst for me was that I was unable to urinate. That was the hardest torture.
“When I was on board, I thought I wouldn't arrive peacefully. Now, I feel I live in a situation worse than before. I know no one here. I can't understand the Arabic language. I have nothing to do. I need to go back.”
Mohammed Abdalle Gidow, 33
“There were 125 people in the boat including me. It was very cramped. I can't speak of all the problems as they were very dismal. We had nothing to eat or drink. They [the owners of the boat] beat us harshly. They threw two young men into the sea after beating them. They threw them as they knew they were dying. At that moment I thought I wouldn’t live any longer. I thought I would follow those two men. They also beat me as I tried to care for my two children.
“Now I am in Yemen, but I found no difference [to my situation in Somalia], save one. And that one is peace, which we were looking for. In fact, I prefer to live in my country as I don't have any job here. I need to feed my children, rent a house, but I can't here.”
Aiban Mohammed Abdulle, 5
“I was scared on the boat. Some men were grabbing me and making me sit down. They beat me, asking me not to move. They were hitting other people around me, including my father. I was crying. I was very hungry and thirsty. They gave us nothing. I was very afraid at that time. I still feel afraid. I am afraid of the sea.”
maj/ed
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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