Tragedy Off Yemen’s Coast
At least 52 Somali migrants died on September 29, 2008 off Yemen’s coast after the ship smuggling them broke down. The migrants had been adrift for approximately 18 days without food or water.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the crew on the smuggling boat told its passengers that they would travel into the Somali city of Bossaso in a smaller boat to re-charge a battery and then return. However, they never did.
Rescuers were able to save 71 people between the ages of 2 and 40. The passengers had paid $100 each for the voyage. The migrant ship is part of an armada in which over 31,000 African migrants have reached Yemen. The migrants, fleeing war and poverty in Somalia, are trying to enter Yemen as a “gateway to wealthier parts of the Middle East” as well as western nations. Despite the thousands who have made the journey, UNHCR calculated that 500 people have died or gone missing in the process.
This tragedy gives us an opportunity to reflect on the current situation not only in Africa but within Yemen. It illustrates how Yemen, despite the problems that exist in the Middle East, is seen as a haven for others. This fact gives Yemen a crucial role as an actor on the international and political spectrum.
Jenna Hootstein
