Hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants killed by Saudi border guards in 15 months: Report

Border guards in Saudi Arabia killed at least hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants seeking refuge in the kingdom between March 2022 and June 2023, at times shooting people, including women and children, from close range, according to a new report released by Human Rights Watch.

Fleeing conflict in their country, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians have attempted the perilous journey through Yemen, a country in the midst of a civil war, to reach oil-rich Saudi Arabia, a land that ostensibly promised them more opportunities. But upon reaching their destination, they reportedly found a new kind of brutality.

"We were fired on repeatedly. I saw people killed in a way I have never imagined. I saw 30 killed people on the spot," 14-year-old Hamdiya told the advocacy group. "I pushed myself under a rock and slept there. I could feel people sleeping around me. I realized what I thought were people sleeping around me were actually dead bodies. I woke up and I was alone."

The journey is not just dangerous because of the conflict ravaging the countries along the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Smugglers reportedly dominate the voyages and commit atrocities to take advantage of the immigrants desperate to create a new life.