Dozens of Migrants Killed in Yemen's Waters by Human Traffickers

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported the death and disappearance of dozens of illegal migrants from Africa in the waters off Yemen. According to a statement from the organization, human traffickers forcibly threw more than 120 migrants from Somalia and Ethiopia into the sea on Wednesday, August 9. Of these, at least 29 lost their lives, and 22 remain missing. Many of these individuals were 'women and children.' The head of the IOM office in Yemen stated that the traffickers 'threw the migrants into the sea after seeing individuals resembling maritime officials.' The organization also announced that shallow graves of 29 victims were found on a beach in the southern province of Shabwa in Yemen, where they were buried by survivors. Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries, has been a battleground for months between Houthi Shiite rebels supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the government backed by an Arab coalition. Despite this, illegal migrants from African countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia continue to flow into this war-torn country, primarily aiming for Gulf countries in search of work and income. According to the IOM, since the beginning of this year, approximately 55,000 people have left the Horn of Africa for Yemen over the past seven months. Several Somali refugee camps have also been established in southern Yemen. Concurrently, as waves of illegal migrants head towards Europe, several maritime routes have been opened by human traffickers, bringing many to the shores of various countries daily. Many of these illegal migrants lose their lives in the process. In July, Amnesty International reported that over 2,000 people have drowned in the Mediterranean since January, while the European Union is focusing on strengthening the Libyan coast guard instead of aiding refugees. In 2015, more than 153,000 people reached the shores of Italy, a figure that rose to 181,000 in 2016. Now, in mid-2017, over 73,000 have reached Italy's shores, marking a 14% increase compared to the same period last year. In this context, the International Red Cross has called on the West and regional powers to resolve the Yemen crisis, while the United Nations has identified the Arab coalition as 'the perpetrator of the deadly March attack on refugees on Yemen's coast.'