In a shocking revelation, Saudi border guards are being accused of committing mass killings of migrants along the Yemeni border, according to a new report released by Human Rights Watch. The report details that hundreds of individuals, many of whom are Ethiopian migrants attempting to reach Saudi Arabia through war-torn Yemen, have been shot and killed by Saudi security forces.
Migrants have recounted horrifying stories of having limbs severed by gunfire and witnessing bodies abandoned along the trails. Despite these allegations, Saudi Arabia has consistently denied any involvement in systematic killings.
Titled “They Fired On Us Like Rain,” the Human Rights Watch report contains harrowing accounts from migrants who claim they were subjected to gunfire and even explosive weapons by Saudi police and soldiers along the rugged northern border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Migrants who were contacted by the BBC shared tales of terrifying night-time border crossings, where large groups of Ethiopians, including women and children, were under fire while attempting to seek employment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
A survivor, 21-year-old Mustafa Soufia Mohammed, recounted, “The shooting went on and on.” He revealed that during his attempt to cross the border in July of the previous year, some members of his group were killed when they were targeted by gunfire. He himself sustained injuries, saying, “I didn’t even notice I was shot, but when I tried to get up and walk, part of my leg was not with me.”
The Human Rights Watch report spans the period from March 2022 to June of the current year and documents 28 separate incidents involving the use of explosive weapons and 14 cases of close-range shootings.
While the exact number of fatalities is challenging to ascertain due to the remote nature of the border crossings and difficulties in tracking down survivors, the report estimates a minimum of 655 deaths, but suggests the actual toll could be in the thousands.
Human Rights Watch’s lead author of the report, Nadia Hardman, described the incidents as “mass killings,” referring to the reported sites as “killing fields” where bodies were strewn across the hillside.
The report’s findings have brought renewed international attention to this issue, and while Saudi Arabia has rejected allegations of systematic killings in the past, the severity of these claims has led to further calls for investigation and accountability.
Advertisement
