Mass murder of Ethiopian migrants is grave violation of human rights

Last month, mass murder of Ethiopian migrants along the Saudi Arabia Yemen border was reported by the Human Rights Watch (HRW). The report on “Ethiopian migrants” analyzed videos and photographs posted on the internet between 12 May 2021 and 18 July 2023. The evidence showed that Ethiopian migrants were tortured by Saudi guards. 

Mass murder of Ethiopian migrants by Saudi guards is a grave violation of human rights. Are Saudi border guards really responsible for killing Ethiopian migrants? What happened to Ethiopian migrants? Let’s analyze the HRW report to understand the plight of Ethiopian migrants.

Mass killings of Ethiopian migrants by Saudi guards

Last year in March, a social media user shared a video on Facebook. The video showed a group of people carrying a woman by her arms and legs. The woman was seen crying in pain as they lowered her down the slope. Her thighs were filled with blood and wounds. What happened to the woman? Was she tortured by Saudi border guards?

The Human Rights Watch analyzed the video to know the truth behind the whole incident. HRW analyzed over 350 videos to reveal the mass killings of Ethiopian migrants by Saudi border guards. HRW found that the Saudi border guards were responsible for killing Ethiopian migrants. 

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Human Rights Watch also took interviews of dozens of Ethiopians who survived amid the brutal act of the Saudi border guards. The survivors revealed that Saudi border guards systematically shot at Ethiopian migrants. 

Plight of Ethiopian migrants

A young survivor told the HRW, “The weapon looked like a rocket launcher, it had six ‘mouths’ and six holes. They fired on us like rain.” She highlighted the brutality of the Saudi border guards.

HRW said in a report that Saudi border guards used small arms and explosive weapons to kill Ethiopian migrants, including women. HRW prepared a report titled “They Fired On Us Like Rain” to highlight the plight of migrant workers.

Nadia Hardman, a researcher in the Refugee and Migrants Rights Division of HRW, slammed the use of explosive weapons against women and children. HRW said, “Such killings are crimes against humanity.”

After conducting interviews with survivors, HRW found that Saudi border guards killed Ethiopians who tried to cross into Saudi Arabia from Yemen. Reportedly, between 12 May 2021 and 18 July 2023, only 281 individuals had survived out of 1,630 migrants. 

According to the BBC report, many Ethiopian women and children were attacked by Saudi border guards near Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia. 

The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrant Project also confirmed that Saudi border guards were responsible for mass killings of migrants. 

Last year, United Nations Special Rapporteurs urged the government in Saudi Arabia to stop the alleged killing of migrants along the border.