Yemeni Forces Raid Migrant Smuggling Sites

Asharq Al-Awsat

4 days ago

Dozens of African migrants escaped death off Yemen's southern coast when their boat broke down at sea, as government forces raided smuggling sites in Abyan province a day after another shipwreck killed 92 people.
Government sources said Yemeni fishermen rescued 250 migrants from the Horn of Africa, nearly half of them women and most of them Ethiopian, after their vessel was stranded for several days in the Gulf of Aden without food or water. Seven people died before the survivors reached Shabwa province, east of Aden.
Authorities provided first aid to the migrants on arrival in Rudum district, which has become a key landing point after tighter patrols along the western Lahj coast, said the sources.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the group endured a week-long voyage from Somalia after their boat's engine failed 100 nautical miles from shore. The trip, meant to last 24 hours, stretched to seven days, relying on wind and paddling.
'These people went through a week of hell at sea, facing exploitation, fear and trauma,' said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM's head of mission in Yemen. He urged greater humanitarian action to save lives, step up search and rescue, tackle the drivers of irregular migration and protect vulnerable travelers.
The rescue came as Abyan's security forces said they raided several coastal sites used by smugglers to shelter incoming migrants, following last week's disaster off the province's coast in which 92 people drowned and 23 were saved from a boat carrying about 200 passengers. The rest remain missing.
The operation targeted areas in Shaqra port, including Tamhan, al-Kasara and al-Hajla, as well as a site on Ahwar's coast, under the supervision of provincial police chief Ali Nasser Bouzeid. He called for regional and international coordination to curb what he described as a security and humanitarian threat.
Bouzeid warned against aiding smugglers, saying several armed men had already been arrested for protecting migrant compounds.
In the Lawdar district, security forces said they detained a 'dangerous gang' involved in smuggling African migrants after a firefight in which the suspects threw grenades at police before being captured. Three vehicles were seized, and the detainees will face legal action, the statement added.
The IOM said the latest shipwreck highlights the urgent need to address the dangers along the eastern migration route linking the Horn of Africa to Yemen. It called for prioritizing life-saving aid, expanding safe migration channels and improving coordinated search and rescue.
The agency praised Abyan authorities' quick response and pledged to support joint efforts to identify survivors, recover bodies and assist affected families.
More than 350 migrants have died or gone missing along the eastern route since the start of the year, the IOM said, warning the real toll is likely far higher.
Every life lost is a stark reminder of the human cost of irregular migration, the agency said, renewing calls for stronger protection systems, effective rescue operations and accountability for smugglers and traffickers.