Somali Refugees Suffer in Yemen
Exiles From the Horn of Africa Swap One Crisis for Another
Sep 27, 2009
In the Kharaz refugee camp, about 100 miles west of the Yemeni city of Aden, Somalis find themselves prisoners in another war-torn, poverty-stricken country incapable of providing them adequate relief.
Somali Refugees Flee to Yemen
Since the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, thousands of refugees have made a perilous escape from their chaotic homeland to Yemen. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, reports that some 82,000 Somali refugees are currently registered in Yemen. But the agency estimates as many as 150,000 Somalis may live in the country.
Though Somalis seek asylum in other neighboring countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, Yemen’s open-door policy toward Somali refugees makes it a prime location for asylum. But the journey is wrought with danger. Every year, tens of thousands of Somalis traverse the Gulf of Aden risking starvation, robbery, beatings, rape, and even death.
Making the situation worse is the five-year-old sectarian conflict in northern Yemen, where fighting between the government and Shiite insurgents has displaced 77,000 people. As a result, many Yemenis do not consider Somalis welcome, as they feel they are only aggravating the crisis.
Yemen War Worsens Humanitarian Crisis
According to the BBC, the modern Republic of Yemen was created by the merging of “traditionalist” North Yemen with “Marxist” South Yemen in 1990. But Yemen has never truly been a unified country. Sectarian conflict escalated in 2004, when fighting between minority Islamic Shiite insurgents and the Sunni-allied federal government caused the death or displacement of thousands.
Shiite rebels accuse the government of allying with Sunni fundamentalists and improper distribution of the nation’s limited resources. In addition, Yemen has been cooperating with the United States in the war on terror, causing further domestic resentment. Aid agencies estimate 150,000 Yemenis have fled their homes, many of whom have crammed into refugee camps of their own.
Yemen is the most impoverished country in the Arab world. Unemployment is at 35 percent, and half the country is illiterate. Oil production - Yemen’s primary source of revenue - is down 40 percent. Somali refugees find themselves caught in the crossfire of Yemen’s ongoing economic, domestic, and humanitarian crises.
Somali Refugees Suffer in Kharaz
Somali refugees pay smugglers to transport themselves and their families across the Red Sea. Many die on the four day voyage, either from starvation, sickness, or mistreatment by the smugglers. While those who reach Yemen are given the option of free transit to the Kharaz refugee camp, many Somalis choose to fend for themselves and make their way to Yemeni cities like Sanaa and Aden.
The Kharaz refugee camp is a derelict military barracks, and entrance into and out of the camp is strictly controlled as a precaution against reprisals from disgruntled local tribes. They claim refugees in the camp are better cared for than the Yemenis themselves. But the Dutch media report that many basic services in the camp have been suspended because of the unstable security conditions.
Residents at Kharaz are entitled to work, but as many have no money to start out with, they cannot travel and are forced to stay in the camp. Those who leave the camp may find work as a laborer, but many resort to begging for food once they reach the cities. According to a BBC report, if the refugee numbers continue to rise, the Yemeni economy could reach the “breaking point.”
Sources
Al-Ariqi, Amel. “Kharaz refugee camp caught in crossfire between government and tribes.” Yemen Times. 9 March 2009.
Al-Haj, Ahmed. “Yemen offers cease-fire to Shiite insurgents.” The Associated Press. 19 Sept. 2009.
Hill, Ginny. “Somali refugees languish in Yemen.” BBC News. 5 July 2006.
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