SANAA, 17 January 2010 (IRIN) - The UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) received 77,802 new arrivals from the Horn of Africa
in 2009, a 55 percent increase over 2008 and the first time Somalis were
not the majority nationality, the agency's external relations officer Rocco
Nuri told IRIN in Sanaa on 16 January.
The biggest change over 2008,
he said, was that the number of Ethiopians making the perilous boat journey
across the Gulf of Aden more than doubled to 44,814, while 32,988 Somalis
reached Yemen's shores.
"There are various push factors
behind the increasing number of Ethiopians, such as conflict, famine, drought
and lack of job opportunities," Nuri said.
He added that the global financial
crisis and subsequent rise in commodity prices "also played a role
in pushing more people to leave their countries in search of better opportunities".
Over 700,000 immigrants
There are more than 700,000 African
immigrants in Yemen, the majority of whom are Somalis, deputy foreign minister
Ali Muthan told a symposium in Sanaa on 12 January at the launch of a new
initiative entitled 'Supporting Yemeni Government and Civil Society to
Meet Migration Challenges'.
He said that "out of the
total number of African immigrants in Yemen, only 200,000 have refugee
status".
"The government has made
tireless efforts to reduce the influx of Africans into its territory through
contributing to enhancing stability and security in Somaliland," Muthan
said.
According to UNHCR, all Somalis
arriving in Yemen are granted prima facie refugee status while non-Somalis
wanting to claim asylum are required to apply at a UNHCR office.
Hazardous journey
For those escaping war, violence
and persecution, the hazardous journey to East African ports and then across
the Gulf of Aden in the hands of ruthless people smugglers only adds to
their suffering, according to UNHCR officials.
"They walk sometimes for
days or travel in risky conditions prior to reaching one of the main departure
points in Somalia and Djibouti. Once a deal with smugglers is made, they
are put on over-packed, rickety boats and are likely to be subjected to
psychological and physical violence at the hands of smugglers, as well
as being left with no water and food for days under a blistering sun,"
Nuri told IRIN.
He added that smugglers often
beat passengers to prevent them from moving and putting their small boats
at risk of capsizing. Sometimes people were forced to jump overboard. "When
a boat capsizes, many drown and the likelihood of finding the missing alive
is very low," he said.
According to UNHCR, at least 309
people drowned or did not survive the trip in 2009. However, this was less
than half the 590 that died in 2008.
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Ethiopia + 2 more