March 4, 2024In Ethiopia, victims of Saudi border guards seek justice Ethiopian authorities announce investigation after damning report by Human Rights Watch highlighting killings committed by Saudi law enforcement to repel migrants from AfricaOver three months of back-and-forth journeys between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Alemu Derso claims to have witnessed eight men fall to the bullets of border guards, most of them Ethiopians like himself. A prominent, swollen scar crosses his right shin—a testament among many to the numerous human rights violations documented by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in August 2023. HRW's findings indicate that the border guards' abuses continued at least until June 2023. Last year, around 6,348 Ethiopians stranded in Yemen, some after being wounded at the Saudi border, landed in Addis Ababa. Some indeed try their luck multiple times, enduring mistreatment from smugglers and then border guards, and survivors often end up... in Saudi jails.
