60 African nationals detained in Taiz, police complain of lack of response from international organizations



"We travel to Saudi Arabia looking for a living and not looking for problems" in these words, Ethiopian Abdo Yassin Idris, a detanee in the Shmaytin police in Taiz province (southwest Yemen), began his speech to Al-Masdar online correspondent.

He was held in conservative detention last Wednesday with his 60 companions, including 37 women from one of the territories in Ethiopia, speaking in broken Arabic language, unlike the rest of his companions, who are not fluent in Arabic, and thus Abdo is speaking to everyone.

Abdo left with his peers Ethiopia and went to Djibouti and rode a ship until they arrived an area overlooking the Gulf of Aden, called Ras al-Arah in Lahij province and then started walking on foot until they landed in Al-Masyoob valley in the region and from there they were arrested.

We asked him why you came here and there are roads from Ras al- Arah closer to Saudi? The reply was "We do not know the way ".

Abdo and his companions were forced to migrate from their country in search of work through which they get a good amount of money because their area in Ethiopia is not commercial, Abdo says, "What drives us to flee our country is the lack of work."

He wonders why we are being held here and we are poor. We immigrated from our country in search of work, Abdo arrived to Saudi via Yemen from Hodeidah and Haradh before the war about five years ago and worked for a year until the police arrested him and returned him to his town of Ethiopia, as he said to Al-Masdar online.   

When the police found Abdo and his companions coming from the sea after receiving reports, the women were not wearing enough clothing to cover them, which was why one of the good people was buying clothes , which he thought was necessary.

At the place of their reservation and the lack of police capabilities a sheikh, Abdul Rahman al-Kabab, contributed by feeding them and providing them with medicine on an ongoing basis.

The police say that they are waiting for the United Nations coordination to come and take 60 Ethiopians thrown into a country crushed by poverty and torn by war.

The story  of this group held in the Shamayteen police is a repetition of daily stories. It is reported that the exodus from the Horn of Africa to Yemen continues despite the war, especially since most of them are taking Yemen as transit to Saudi Arabia.

For details of the police's reservation on Ethiopians since Wednesday, we met with Deputy chief of Shamayteen Police Colonel Omar al-Zein and his reply:  "They have no proof of identity or asylum cards and after the reservation we sent  notes to the international organizations concerning the repatriation of Ethiopians or the disposition About them  ".

"Organizations refused to cooperate with us on the pretext that Ethiopia does not have a war and its status is stable and they have been excluded from the list of nationalities entitled to asylum, unlike former Somalis who have been detained by the organizations and returned to their destination.

According to Al-Zein, two of the people who were in custody were infected by severe watery diarrhoea, a symptom of cholera and taken to the hospital for treatment. "They have provided mattresses, medicine, food, drink and clothes for them and the police have no means to help them," said the police chief.

This is not the first time that we are reserving citizens from African countries, and there are many areas along the coastline and the Arabian Sea is a transit station for arrivals from Africa, including al-Mocha in Taiz and Ras Al-'ara in Lahij, where there is a camp to shelter refugees

He concludes by noting that they are still awaiting the arrival of a delegate from the United Nations Coordinator after having been provided with the names and photographs of those who have been kept in custody for return to their destination.


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