9/9/2005
Refugees Die In Gulf Of Aden: UN Chief Appeals For International Action

Refugees from Somalia are dying as they try to cross the Gulf of Aden to find safety in Yemen. The escalating death toll and harrowing survivors’ tales have led António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to call this week for international action."We cannot simply stand by for the next several months while hundreds or thousands more desperate people go to their deaths in the Gulf of Aden at the hands of smugglers,” he said.

Opposite the Somali port of Bossasso the Gulf of Aden is some 350 kilometres wide. This is the sea that the refugees seek to cross, paying large sums of money to the smugglers for a passage in rickety vessels. They ply their evil trade in the autumn and winter months, when the sea conditions are calmer. But this is no guarantee the refugees will cross in safety.

At least 150 people have died trying to make this crossing in the last three weeks, UNHCR reports. Twenty-five people were reported dead this week off the coast of Yemen, while at least 75 bodies washed ashore last week after smugglers on four boats carrying some 400 people forced the passengers to jump overboard as they neared the coast. Another 39 people were rescued from their drifting boat by a Danish ship on Wednesday night. One man died before he could receive proper medical attention.

In the latest incident last Friday, two boats run by Somali smugglers and carrying about 120 people were found offshore by Yemeni coastal guards. Ten people were found dead in the engine room of one boat, and two others died after being taken ashore. Survivors said another 13 had died during the voyage and their bodies thrown overboard.

Mr Guterres called for international action to put pressure on the Somali authorities. “We need to get information to those being exploited by the smugglers as well, so they know the dangers,” he added. “We're also appealing to international shippers to keep an eye out for boats in distress in the Gulf, and on governments in the region to do all they can to help those who need it on their shores.”