In 2019, Human Rights Watch documented a network of smugglers, traffickers, and authorities in Yemen that kidnap, detain, and beat Ethiopian migrants and extort them or their families for money. Human Rights Watch believes this is the detention facility where Ethiopian migrants are currently being detained. The Saudi government should investigate and appropriately discipline or prosecute security personnel responsible for firing upon Ethiopian migrants at the Yemen border. Saudi Arabia should immediately allow UNHCR to exercise its mandate by allowing it to determine asylum seekers’ refugee status and facilitate durable solutions, including integration in Saudi Arabia, for those recognized as refugees. Human Rights Council members should use the upcoming 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council in September to extend the mandate of the UN Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen.

Source: Ethiopian News August 13, 2020 04:18 UTC