Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has denied allegations of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report about killing hundreds of Ethiopian migrants while they attempted to cross the Saudi-Yemeni border, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
On Monday, August 21, HRW published a report alleging that border troops in Saudi Arabia used machine guns and mortars on unarmed Ethopians trying to cross into the Kingdom of Yemen between March 2022 to June 2023.
“These allegations are unfounded and are based on untrusted sources,” a Saudi official source said in a statement on Thursday, Aigust 24.
The official source condemned the allegations against Saudi Arabia as politicised and misleading.
He said that these allegations are part of a media campaign that was launched for “suspicious goals and objectives.”
The source added that groups of people who were subjected to gunshot wounds by armed groups who were trying to push them into Saudi Arabia by force.
“The Government of Ethiopia will promptly investigate the incident in tandem with the Saudi Authorities,” the ministry said on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, August 22.
“At this critical juncture, it is highly advised to exercise utmost restraint from making unnecessary speculations until [the] investigation is complete,” the ministry said, noting the “excellent longstanding relations” between Addis Ababa and Riyadh.
