Ethiopian consulate officials in Yemen said they had been concerned for the welfare of 122 Ethiopian migrants after Yemeni authorities had detained them for nearly a week before deporting them.
“We were worried about why they were arrested and what condition they might be in, but then the authorities told us it was because they entered the country illegally, and were not political refugees, and that they were being well looked after,” Abebe Biazen, Consul of the Ethiopian Embassy, said.
Abebe said that Yemeni authorities had provided the detainees with "shelter, food and medication" and had given them tickets home once the consulate had processed their documents. Authorities were unavailable for comment and so could not confirm the exact date of deportation.
The migrants had made the perilous two-day crossing of the Gulf of Aden with 129 Somalis in three boats from the Somali port of Bosaso on 27 November.
“They wanted to enter the country just to get any job opportunity and to go to other countries, namely Saudi Arabia," Abebe said.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) had also expressed concern over the status of the Ethiopians. In a statement issued on 1 December, the agency said it had been unsuccessful in its request to authorities to visit the detainees and determine if there were refugees among the group who should not be deported.
"Yemeni officials told UNHCR staff on Thursday [30 November] that all non-Somali new arrivals should be detained and deported to their home countries," Ron Redmond, UNHCR spokesman, said.
Redmond pointed out that Yemen is one of the few countries in the Middle East that has signed the 1951 Refugee Convention. As such, it has shown hospitality and flexibility towards the tens of thousands of Somali refugees that arrive on its coast every year.
"But we urge the government to respect its international obligations and to continue keeping its doors open to other nationals, who might fear persecution in their countries of origin. UNHCR is ready to assist the government with the screening and registration of all new arrivals," said Redmond.
On landing at Bir Ali in Yemen, the Ethiopians were immediately transferred by security forces to the immigration authorities in Attaq, Shabwa governorate until their deportation about a week later.
According to UNHCR, more than 22,000 people aboard at least 188 boats were recorded arriving in Yemen from Somalia since the start of this year. Stowed away in rickety fishing boats and traversing rough shark-infested seas, 133 Somalis and 193 Ethiopians reportedly died undertaking this journey this year.
Due to historical links between the two countries, Somalis are granted automatic refugee status on arrival in Yemen when they register with authorities.
Ethiopians are not granted this status and therefore often do not register but opt to travel on to other parts of Yemen or elsewhere in the Middle East. So far this year, 11,510 Somalis and 959 Ethiopians were transferred to UNHCR's reception centre in May'fa.
According to Abebe, Ethiopians frequently try to go to Yemen and most of them enter the country illegally because they do not have enough money to coordinate with agents. He estimated that some 500 Ethiopians try and enter Yemen by sea every week.
"It all depends on the sea weather. When the sea is calm, the number reaches 600 people," he said, adding that more than 10,000 legal Ethiopians are registered with the embassy in Yemen.
There are currently more than 80,000 registered refugees in Yemen, some 75,500 are Somalis, according to UNHCR.
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“We were worried about why they were arrested and what condition they might be in, but then the authorities told us it was because they entered the country illegally, and were not political refugees, and that they were being well looked after,” Abebe Biazen, Consul of the Ethiopian Embassy, said.
Abebe said that Yemeni authorities had provided the detainees with "shelter, food and medication" and had given them tickets home once the consulate had processed their documents. Authorities were unavailable for comment and so could not confirm the exact date of deportation.
The migrants had made the perilous two-day crossing of the Gulf of Aden with 129 Somalis in three boats from the Somali port of Bosaso on 27 November.
“They wanted to enter the country just to get any job opportunity and to go to other countries, namely Saudi Arabia," Abebe said.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) had also expressed concern over the status of the Ethiopians. In a statement issued on 1 December, the agency said it had been unsuccessful in its request to authorities to visit the detainees and determine if there were refugees among the group who should not be deported.
"Yemeni officials told UNHCR staff on Thursday [30 November] that all non-Somali new arrivals should be detained and deported to their home countries," Ron Redmond, UNHCR spokesman, said.
Redmond pointed out that Yemen is one of the few countries in the Middle East that has signed the 1951 Refugee Convention. As such, it has shown hospitality and flexibility towards the tens of thousands of Somali refugees that arrive on its coast every year.
"But we urge the government to respect its international obligations and to continue keeping its doors open to other nationals, who might fear persecution in their countries of origin. UNHCR is ready to assist the government with the screening and registration of all new arrivals," said Redmond.
On landing at Bir Ali in Yemen, the Ethiopians were immediately transferred by security forces to the immigration authorities in Attaq, Shabwa governorate until their deportation about a week later.
According to UNHCR, more than 22,000 people aboard at least 188 boats were recorded arriving in Yemen from Somalia since the start of this year. Stowed away in rickety fishing boats and traversing rough shark-infested seas, 133 Somalis and 193 Ethiopians reportedly died undertaking this journey this year.
Due to historical links between the two countries, Somalis are granted automatic refugee status on arrival in Yemen when they register with authorities.
Ethiopians are not granted this status and therefore often do not register but opt to travel on to other parts of Yemen or elsewhere in the Middle East. So far this year, 11,510 Somalis and 959 Ethiopians were transferred to UNHCR's reception centre in May'fa.
According to Abebe, Ethiopians frequently try to go to Yemen and most of them enter the country illegally because they do not have enough money to coordinate with agents. He estimated that some 500 Ethiopians try and enter Yemen by sea every week.
"It all depends on the sea weather. When the sea is calm, the number reaches 600 people," he said, adding that more than 10,000 legal Ethiopians are registered with the embassy in Yemen.
There are currently more than 80,000 registered refugees in Yemen, some 75,500 are Somalis, according to UNHCR.
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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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