Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Saudi border guards of killing hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers between March 2022 to June 2023, as they tried to enter the Kingdom from Yemen.
The allegations came in a 73-page investigative report prepared by the New York-based HRW, titled ‘They Fired on Us Like Rain’ on Monday, August 21.
The report is based on interviews with 42 Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers based o the analysis of over 350 videos and photographs posted on social media, as well as satellite images.
A 20-year-old woman from Ethiopia’s Oromia region told HRW that the Saudi border guards opened fire on the released refugees.
“They fired on us like rain. When I remember, I cry,” she said.
“I saw a guy calling for help, he lost both his legs. He was screaming; he was saying, ‘Are you leaving me here? Please don’t leave me’. We couldn’t help him because we were running for our lives.”
“Saudi border guards have used explosive weapons and shot people at close range, including women and children, in a pattern that is widespread and systematic,” says the HRW report.
“If committed as part of a Saudi government policy to murder migrants, these killings would be a crime against humanity,” it added.
Saudi border guards had no mercy even for women and children and often took sadistic pleasure in asking migrants which body part they would like to be shot at, the report adds.
“I saw people killed in a way I have never imagined. I saw 30 killed people on the spot.” Hamdiya, a 14-year-old girl who crossed the border in February, told researchers.
Migration routes through Yemen
Never come across such violence: Researcher
“Spending billions buying up professional golf, football clubs, and major entertainment events to improve the Saudi image should not deflect attention from these horrendous crimes,” said refugee and migrant rights researcher at the institute, Nadia Hardman.
“I cover violence at borders, but I have never come across something of this nature, the use of explosive weapons including against women and children,” she added.
The report urges Saudi Arabia to end any policy that supports lethal force against refugees and asylum seekers and urges international governments to promote accountability, including imposing sanctions on complicit authorities.
Saudi Arabia denies accusations
A Saudi government source denied HRW’s accusations that the Saudi border guards killed hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants calling them ‘baseless’, reported AFP.
US urges investigation into report
“We have raised our concerns about these allegations with the Saudi government,” a US State Department spokesperson told AFP on Monday.
“We urge the Saudi authorities to undertake a thorough and transparent investigation and also to meet their obligations under international law.”
