Over 700 Africans sneak into Yemen

SANA'A, March 13 (Saba) - About 750 Africans,
including 85 women and 25 children, sneaked into Yemen last February, Interior
Ministry has
reported.
The security sources said that about 382 of the Africans were Ethiopians, arrested
either immediately at their arrivals to the Yemeni coasts or inside cities.
The rest of the Africans were from different nationalities, Nigerian, Sudanese,
Eritrean and Djiboutian.
Moreover, security authorities in Abyan province have arrested on 102 Ethiopians,
including 15 women and three children, in Ahwar coast, while five others were
arrested
in Taiz province. All of them were sent to the competent authorities to take the
legal procedures.
People from the Horn of Africa countries continue to flee their ravaged countries
heading to Yemen, with the authorities saying the number of those who have already
arrived
in the country until last year is more 700,000 people, mainly coming from Somalia.
Yemen has ordered security authorities in all coastal cities to close all waterways
to prevent possible infiltration of terrorists from Africa after Somalia's
al-Shabaab
Movement said it would send fighters to support al-Qaeda in the country.
Al-Shabaab's statement followed successful government raids against al-Qaeda
hideouts in north and south Yemen in late 2009 in which scores of terrorist
suspects were killed
and arrested.
MB/AF