From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Thu Aug 14 2008 - 08:45:52 EDT
Yemen extends open but empty hand to Somalis
By Ferry Biedermann in Kharaz, Yemen
Published: August 13 2008 01:10 | Last updated: August 13 2008 01:10
Mohammed Ibrahim Ishaq squats in a tiny strip of shade beside his hovel of
sticks and cloth in the desert camp, where the sandy wind batters noisily
against the tin roofs of some of the more sturdy shelters.
The camp in Kharaz is located in the far south of Yemen, where the Arabian
peninsula runs out just opposite the Horn of Africa.
Yemen, one of the poorest and least developed countries on earth, is
experiencing a surge of refugees, mainly from Somalia. The United Nations
refugee agency, the UNHCR, says more than 21,000 people arrived in the first
six months of the year – two-thirds of the 2007 total. The highest numbers
usually arrive in autumn, when conditions for the sea crossing are most
favourable.
This year's increase reflects worsening conditions and an escalation in the
fighting in Somalia, says the UNHCR, a view confirmed by Mr Ishaq. "This is
the sixth time that I have crossed but now I will stay. I brought my wife,"
says the 29-year-old, who is already a veteran of the perilous journey by
boat.
"I used to go on to Saudi Arabia but not any more," says Mr Ishaq, who has
been detained and sent back to Somalia by the Saudi authorities several
times. He says he used to work in Yemen only long enough to earn money for
the onward trip.
Lawless state
Somalia has not known peace since the overthrow of President Siad Barre in
1991. By 1995 it was so dangerous that all UN forces were evacuated as
fighting between regional and clan factions persisted. In 2006 a
transitional government, backed by Ethiopia, took control of Mogadishu, but
Islamist insurgents still mount almost daily attacks. Hundreds of thousands
have fled the capital.
Somalis are recognised *prima facie* as refugees in Yemen and are allowed
to work and move freely, but not so in Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni government
cites the desperate conditions in Somalia as the reason for giving Somalis a
warmer welcome than other refugees from Africa. But some Yemenis also cite
the ancient ties between the two Muslim countries.
Hundreds of thousands of people have made the crossing from Africa since the
early 1990s, when Somalia imploded. The UNHCR estimates that refugees from
Africa in Yemen, including the second most-numerous group, Ethiopians,
number between 125,000 and 150,000.
Government officials estimate the figure to be much higher, at more than
700,000. The difference may partly be accounted for by the large numbers
that use Yemen as a transit country on their way to the rich Gulf states, as
well as Saudi Arabia. But many do stay.
"They are a heavy burden on us," says Ali Muthana Hassan, a deputy foreign
minister. "I don't know what we can do if the numbers increase."
Despite being ranked a lowly 153 out of 177 countries on the UN's human
development index, Yemen provides free healthcare and education to Somalis,
in recognition of the severity of the conflict.
While Yemen feels duty-bound to offer "real refugees" a haven, many of those
who come are economic migrants, says Mr Muthana. The deputy minister freely
admits that the government favours the remote and barren location of Kharaz
in order to discourage more from coming.
He says the international community should help stabilise Somalia and that
the UNHCR should launch an information campaign, to persuade people not to
come.
The sharp rise in the number of refugees this year has coincided with severe
food price inflation in Yemen, as in the rest of the region. Some staples
have tripled in price since the beginning of the year. The World Food
Programme was unable to distribute rice, the main meal of the day, in Kharaz
this month because supplies cost too much on the local market.
Aidroos al-Naqeeb, an MP from Yemen's opposition Socialist party, sees it as
his country's duty to accept the refugees but says Somalis make life harder
for some of the poorest Yemenis. "The work that a Yemeni used to do for 300
rials [$1.50, €1, £0.80p], a Somali now does for 100."
Somali men often wash cars and the women clean houses in the city. It gives
them just enough income to live in slums such as Basateen, on the edge of
Aden. It is a step up from Kharaz, but the cost of rent and food makes the
move prohibitive for some.
One way families survive in Basateen is by receiving cash from relatives
abroad. "Most of the money we get in comes from the Gulf," says the clerk in
one of the money transfer bureaux. Even so, with the increase in food and
fuel prices, some refugees have started to move back to the camp.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
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