A RECENTLY released Human Rights Watch report makes shocking claims about deadly force used by Saudi border guards when dealing with mostly Ethiopian migrants trying to enter the kingdom through Yemen. It says that between March 2022 and June 2023 “hundreds” of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers were killed by Saudi forces. The document also details rampant abuse of migrants by both smugglers, as well as members of Yemen’s Houthi militia. HRW has based the report on eyewitness accounts, together with photographic and video evidence. The UN had last year released similar findings. Most Ethiopians trying to enter Saudi Arabia are economic migrants, but those fleeing conflict in their homeland are also making this perilous journey. While these individuals — including women and children — try to make the border crossing to find work in the kingdom’s prosperous cities, their dreams are cruelly cut short by trigger-happy border guards. They are also exposed to inhuman treatment by smugglers. Eyewitnesses told HRW that Saudi border forces opened fire on unarmed migrants, while several described savage beatings by guards after they were captured. Conditions in detention centres are reportedly squalid, while many women migrants said they were sexually assaulted by smugglers and other migrants. The Ethiopian foreign ministry has said a joint probe will be launched with Riyadh, while the official Saudi Press Agency has quoted a government source as terming the report “politicised and misleading”.

Migrants fleeing poverty and war the world over face similarly brutal conditions. For example, many European states have adopted cruel ‘pushback’ policies to prevent migrants from entering the continent. Instead of brushing aside the allegations, the issues raised by the HRW report need to be addressed by the Saudi state. Riyadh needs to investigate, and if the claims are established, those guilty should be punished, while a humane policy must be adopted to handle migration. All states have a right to control their borders, but not by violating fundamental rights.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2023