March 27, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1428

GENEVA, March 26: At least 100 Somalis and Ethiopians are dead or missing after smugglers forced hundreds of would-be immigrants to jump from boats into high seas off the coast of Yemen, the UN refugee agency said on Monday.

Twenty-nine people were confirmed dead and 71 others were missing after smugglers brandishing knives forced their cargo of 450 people to jump on Thursday off a remote stretch of Yemen's coastline, the UNHCR said.

At least 290 immigrants survived the journey on four boats from Bosaso in the Somali region of Puntland and made it to the UN refugee centre at Mayfa'a where they were receiving medical care.

They told horrific stories of their crossing through the Gulf of Aden, in particular of their arrival on Thursday morning on the Yemeni coast in stormy seas whipped up by high winds and strong currents.

The smugglers forced their human cargo to jump while the boats were still far from shore and those who did not were stabbed and beaten with clubs before being thrown into the water, the UNHCR said.

Sharks attacked some of the immigrants and many of the dead bodies showed signs of mutilation.

Survivors recounted that several Ethiopian women and at least one Somali woman had been raped and abused by the smugglers during the crossing.

Even when they made it to dry land, survivors alleged that the Yemeni security forces had confiscated what little money they had.

“We are horrified by this latest tragedy,” said the UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Erika Feller after returning from a five-day visit to Yemen to review the agency's operations there.

“These brutal smugglers care nothing about the fate of the people they prey upon, both refugees and irregular migrants who are desperate to escape persecution, violence and poverty in the Horn of Africa.”

According to a UNHCR tally, 4,400 immigrants have now landed on the Yemeni coast already this year. At least 166 more have died and nearly 100 others are still missing.

The agency estimates that 26,000 people attempted the crossing last year, with 330 of those perishing en route and another 300 still listed as missing.

Last Saturday, 330 Somalis and Ethiopians reached the Yemeni coast on two boats without any reported loss of human life.

The latest tragedy came as Feller rounded off a mission to Yemen along with the UNHCR's Middle East and North Africa Bureau, Radhouane Nouicer.

The two officials agreed with the Yemeni authorities to strengthen cooperation on refugees and migrants arriving in Yemen.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) operates a reception centre and a refugee camp in Yemen.

It said it would appeal for more money and a greater commitment from the international community to help Yemen deal with the ongoing crisis.

It also said it was working with other organisations in the Horn of Africa to encourage authorities to crack down on smuggling and to educate people about the dangers of trying to cross the Gulf of Aden.

But Feller admitted it would take far more international involvement to improve conditions for the would-be immigrants in their land of origin.

“While we will do all we can to address the humanitarian and protection needs, we fear that until the root causes of poverty, persecution and conflict are addressed, desperate people who have nothing left to lose will continue to risk their lives,” she said.—AFP