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October 2007 |
MSF has just started a new project in Yemen providing
assistance to immigrants arriving in huge numbers on the southern coast.
Most of the migrants come from Somalia or Ethiopia, crossing the Golf
of Aden in very difficult conditions.
Since the beginning of 2007, estimates
are that close to 14,000 people have tried to reach the coast of Yemen
while more than 350 have died in the attempt and 272 remain missing.
This is an extract from the diary of Ibrahim Younis, MSF Head of Mission
in Yemen.
Listen to this Interview with Ibrahim Younis,
MSF Head of Mission, Yemen
For the past three months we have been on an exploratory mission in southern
Yemen; our objective is to identify the medical needs of African migrants
who, coming from Somalia, ride the deadly sea in the Gulf of Aden trying
to reach the shores of Yemen in search for a better life.
In June and July, while gathering information in the country before going
to the southern coast, we heard many hard stories from the immigrants.
But still, when we arrived, when confronted with the huge number of boats
arriving day and night to the coast, the feeling was not the same. It's
hard to see people risking their lives this way. Children, women and
men all left Somalia and Ethiopia looking for a better life and safety
in the Arab lands.
The stories we hear from the migrants are appalling. The trip takes three
to four days between Bossassu, in Somalia, and a 400 kilometers stretch
of land between Bir Ali and Ahwar, on the Yemeni coast. The migrants
usually travel on small fishing boats with a capacity of 30 people each
but filled with 90 to 100 persons - three times the normal capacity.
To avoid capsizing, passengers are forced to sit down and not move, not
even to urinate, for at least three days; sometimes they are tied to
each other.
They are not allowed to carry anything with them during the journey,
sometimes not even food and very few water. Some don't survive the harsh
conditions and die during the voyage; the dead bodies are simply thrown
overboard. As the smugglers are constantly hunted by the Yemeni security
forces along the coast, the passengers often have to jump into the sea
in the middle of the night before they reach the shore. Some of the migrants
can swim, others cannot ; and even if they could, sometimes they don't
know which direction to go since it is almost dark.
Ahwar, South Yemen. September 15, 2007. 00.34 a.m.
One of our network connections has just sent us an urgent message asking
us to come as soon as possible to Hessin Bel Eid area, 34 km from our
base in Ahwar. One of the four health posts we have set up along the
coast between Ahwar and Bir Ali is located in Hessin Bel Eid. We respond
to the emergency call sending two cars equipped with food, water, a medical
team and all necessary first aid items as well as clothes and blankets.
It's dark when we arrive and we don't see anything. We guide ourselves
by the torches of the Yemeni coastal guards. The soldiers are in panic;
we can see and feel signs of relief in their attitude when we arrive.
They immediately ask us to take care of 94 very weak and suffering survivors.
They arrived on two boats around 7 p.m. but, due to communication problems,
nobody could reach us before. At the same time we are asked to take care
of the dead people who are on the beach, not far from the coastal guard
post.
We immediately provided emergency medical treatment to the survivors
and carried out a screening to identify the weakest; then we distributed
food, water and clothes.
After being forced to sit close to each other without moving for three
days, the most common symptoms seen are signs of dehydration, physical
abuses and muscular pain. We also see signs of Post Traumatical Stress
Disorder. They are scared and need guarantees of safety; for that we
have a team of counselors.
Apart from the survivors, we also have to take care of the dead. This
is the hardest part. We walk about 1.5 km and soon we come to the bodies,
of all ages, scattered everywhere; at night they look like rocks. When
we get closer we see that crabs have already started feeding on the dead
bodies. With the help of some volunteers, we managed to lift them to
higher grounds, cover the bodies that are naked. Then we start
to discuss with the authorities what is the legal framework to bury the
30 dead bodies.
Same day: 08.00 a.m.
A team from a refugee agency has come to take the migrants to the Mayfa
reception center, 80 km away. There they will be registered and then
sent to the refugee camp in Kharaz area.
Reflecting back on all these events, it is striking how strong these
people are. They share their fears and weaknesses with us, but in every
moment they keep their pride. Their stories are so horrible they make
you shiver. Most of them say they left Somalia because of the war, but
they didn't expect the trip would be so difficult. Some of them told
me: "We prefer the war to the boat trip. If only we could find something
to eat in Somalia."
It's clear that this massive arrival of migrants generates an excessive
burden for the already barely functioning Yemeni local infrastructures.
After such a long and dangerous trip, migrants hardly receive any assistance
when they finally make it to the Yemeni shores. For the time being, MSF's
intervention provides at least the most urgent, life saving assistance.
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