ID :
41399
Mon, 01/19/2009 - 09:40
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/41399
The shortlink copeid
African refugees, increasing burden on Yemen
SANA'A, Jan. 18(Saba)- The Problem of African refugees resulted by
Somali destructive war since its outbreak in early 1990s reflected
negatively on the people of the area.
This extended war has forced Somalis and others of neighboring
countries to depart their countries looking for alternative homeland
to live in peacefully. They chose Yemen as their journey destination
with help of pirates in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean who carry
them to their safe sanctuary.
Somali and African refugees prefer Yemen because it provides them
care and support despite its humble capabilities and expressions of
its anxiety of continuous rush of refugees from the African Horn to
the country.
"No doubt that African refugees, whose numbers are increasing
immensely, represent great burden on Yemen," said Minister of Social
and Labor Affairs Amat Al-Razaq Hummad.
Despite international support and help, she says, they are not
enough. Yemen has unemployment problem and that preponderance of
refugees will affect employment in Yemen.
International efforts
Concerning international efforts in taking care of refugees,
representative of the United Nation High Commission Refugees in
Sana'a Klear Ann says the commission provides food assistances to
African registered in its centers. It also provides them with health
and educational services.
" The services also cover refugees living outside housing centers
via taking care of their health and loaning some of them soft loans
for conducting small-sized projects and training others
vocationally," she added.
Over situations of refugees in Yemen and reasons behind choosing it
as save sanctuary, Somali refugee Rumanah Sharef says the hell of
Somali war forced me and my family to return to flee to Yemen.
"In our voyage we have help of sea pirates who brought us to Yemeni
coasts. Then we infiltrated in cities seeking for our livings," said
Sharef. She affirms that she and her Somali brothers enjoy stable
and safe life. She further says that she is currently works as
servant in one of Yemeni houses in Sana'a.
"Yemeni people are good and treat us as their brothers. Sometimes
they are kind to us, giving us aids, clothes and other things
occasionally," she added.
Abdullah Mohammad, another Somali refugee who arrived in Yemeni
coasts last year, affirms what Sharef has said.
"I practice my ordinary life in Sana'a where I learned Arabic
illiteracy-eradication schools. This helps me finding a work to
improve my living," said Mohammad.
He pointed out risks his friends have faced while in the sea two
months ago. They wanted to reach Yemeni coasts and thousands of
Somalis have sunk and died in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
Reasons of those suffering, he says, are the bad boats of pirates
and great numbers of refugees in the boat.
While Ethiopian refugee Blaili Sahlouh who arrived in Yemen in 1991
via the Red Sea says he was intending to use Yemen only a transit
station for other European countries or Canada. He noted that
conditions have forced him to stay in this country. He says he has
worked as a chief in some embassies and Yemeni restaurants.
Yemen efforts for solving the problem
Yemen expresses anxiety of African increasing emigrations to Yemen
and of increasing numbers of refugees who will affect the country's
development.
Humad says that Yemen has exerted efforts for solving the problem of
refugees. President Saleh exerts continuous efforts for mediation of
solving differences between warring Somali factions. He always seeks
for stopping the war, restoring security and stability in Somali and
ensuring returning refugees to their homes.
While Ann made it clear that coordination and cooperation with Yemen
included counting of refugees numbers, setting measures of
controlling newcomers to the country for evaluating assistances in
their homelands besides, helping Yemen for avoiding refugees coming
via African Coast for protecting them.
She indicated existing cooperation with Yemeni civil organizations
and Yemeni Red Crescent for providing free health and humanitarian
services to African in Yemeni coasts of the Red Sea and the Gulf of
Aden.
Numbers of refugees in Yemen
Numbers of refugees rushing to Yemen are contradicting. Minster
Humad says " we cannot speak about correct figures or statistics
because African emigrants are reaching Yemeni coasts illegally."
She indicated that most of them have infiltrated to Yemeni cities
without returning to housing centers sponsored by international
organization in cooperation with the government of Yemen.
"Number of African refugees in Yemen, who are registered in housing
centers of the UNHCR, has reached 133,000, among of theme 126,000
Somalis and the rest are from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Iraq," says Ann.
She pointed out that these refugees are distributed on three housing
centers. Over refugees who arrived Yemen illegally, she said that
she does not have information on statistics other than those
registered in housing centers.
Drowning incidents
Somali refugees always face death in their voyage to Yemen. In a
recent drowning incident happened yesterday, hundreds of people are
missing and feared dead after three boats carrying about 400
migrants from Somalia capsized Saturday near Yemen, a U.N. official
said.
At least a dozen bodies have washed ashore in Yemen, said Laila
Nassif, who heads the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
office in the coastal city of Aden.
Nassif said two boats carrying some 300 migrants capsized in the Red
Sea. Only 30 people have been rescued so far, and rescue efforts
were complicated by bad weather in the area, Nassif said.
In another incident, a boat carrying 120 migrants capsized in the
Arabian Sea and 80 of the migrants made it safely to shore, Nassif
said.
All of these refugees are Somalis, the U.N. official said.
Hundreds of Africans die every year trying to reach Yemen, with many
drowning or being attacked by pirates and smugglers in the dangerous
waters separating Somalia and the Arabian peninsula.
The U.N. refugee agency last year reported that more than 43,500
migrants - mostly Somalis - arrived illegally by boat to Yemen.
Somali destructive war since its outbreak in early 1990s reflected
negatively on the people of the area.
This extended war has forced Somalis and others of neighboring
countries to depart their countries looking for alternative homeland
to live in peacefully. They chose Yemen as their journey destination
with help of pirates in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean who carry
them to their safe sanctuary.
Somali and African refugees prefer Yemen because it provides them
care and support despite its humble capabilities and expressions of
its anxiety of continuous rush of refugees from the African Horn to
the country.
"No doubt that African refugees, whose numbers are increasing
immensely, represent great burden on Yemen," said Minister of Social
and Labor Affairs Amat Al-Razaq Hummad.
Despite international support and help, she says, they are not
enough. Yemen has unemployment problem and that preponderance of
refugees will affect employment in Yemen.
International efforts
Concerning international efforts in taking care of refugees,
representative of the United Nation High Commission Refugees in
Sana'a Klear Ann says the commission provides food assistances to
African registered in its centers. It also provides them with health
and educational services.
" The services also cover refugees living outside housing centers
via taking care of their health and loaning some of them soft loans
for conducting small-sized projects and training others
vocationally," she added.
Over situations of refugees in Yemen and reasons behind choosing it
as save sanctuary, Somali refugee Rumanah Sharef says the hell of
Somali war forced me and my family to return to flee to Yemen.
"In our voyage we have help of sea pirates who brought us to Yemeni
coasts. Then we infiltrated in cities seeking for our livings," said
Sharef. She affirms that she and her Somali brothers enjoy stable
and safe life. She further says that she is currently works as
servant in one of Yemeni houses in Sana'a.
"Yemeni people are good and treat us as their brothers. Sometimes
they are kind to us, giving us aids, clothes and other things
occasionally," she added.
Abdullah Mohammad, another Somali refugee who arrived in Yemeni
coasts last year, affirms what Sharef has said.
"I practice my ordinary life in Sana'a where I learned Arabic
illiteracy-eradication schools. This helps me finding a work to
improve my living," said Mohammad.
He pointed out risks his friends have faced while in the sea two
months ago. They wanted to reach Yemeni coasts and thousands of
Somalis have sunk and died in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
Reasons of those suffering, he says, are the bad boats of pirates
and great numbers of refugees in the boat.
While Ethiopian refugee Blaili Sahlouh who arrived in Yemen in 1991
via the Red Sea says he was intending to use Yemen only a transit
station for other European countries or Canada. He noted that
conditions have forced him to stay in this country. He says he has
worked as a chief in some embassies and Yemeni restaurants.
Yemen efforts for solving the problem
Yemen expresses anxiety of African increasing emigrations to Yemen
and of increasing numbers of refugees who will affect the country's
development.
Humad says that Yemen has exerted efforts for solving the problem of
refugees. President Saleh exerts continuous efforts for mediation of
solving differences between warring Somali factions. He always seeks
for stopping the war, restoring security and stability in Somali and
ensuring returning refugees to their homes.
While Ann made it clear that coordination and cooperation with Yemen
included counting of refugees numbers, setting measures of
controlling newcomers to the country for evaluating assistances in
their homelands besides, helping Yemen for avoiding refugees coming
via African Coast for protecting them.
She indicated existing cooperation with Yemeni civil organizations
and Yemeni Red Crescent for providing free health and humanitarian
services to African in Yemeni coasts of the Red Sea and the Gulf of
Aden.
Numbers of refugees in Yemen
Numbers of refugees rushing to Yemen are contradicting. Minster
Humad says " we cannot speak about correct figures or statistics
because African emigrants are reaching Yemeni coasts illegally."
She indicated that most of them have infiltrated to Yemeni cities
without returning to housing centers sponsored by international
organization in cooperation with the government of Yemen.
"Number of African refugees in Yemen, who are registered in housing
centers of the UNHCR, has reached 133,000, among of theme 126,000
Somalis and the rest are from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Iraq," says Ann.
She pointed out that these refugees are distributed on three housing
centers. Over refugees who arrived Yemen illegally, she said that
she does not have information on statistics other than those
registered in housing centers.
Drowning incidents
Somali refugees always face death in their voyage to Yemen. In a
recent drowning incident happened yesterday, hundreds of people are
missing and feared dead after three boats carrying about 400
migrants from Somalia capsized Saturday near Yemen, a U.N. official
said.
At least a dozen bodies have washed ashore in Yemen, said Laila
Nassif, who heads the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
office in the coastal city of Aden.
Nassif said two boats carrying some 300 migrants capsized in the Red
Sea. Only 30 people have been rescued so far, and rescue efforts
were complicated by bad weather in the area, Nassif said.
In another incident, a boat carrying 120 migrants capsized in the
Arabian Sea and 80 of the migrants made it safely to shore, Nassif
said.
All of these refugees are Somalis, the U.N. official said.
Hundreds of Africans die every year trying to reach Yemen, with many
drowning or being attacked by pirates and smugglers in the dangerous
waters separating Somalia and the Arabian peninsula.
The U.N. refugee agency last year reported that more than 43,500
migrants - mostly Somalis - arrived illegally by boat to Yemen.
