Local Editor
Blamed for being coronavirus carriers, more than 100,000 Ethiopian migrants have been stranded in war-ravaged Yemen. Even those who have not been infected with the virus earlier stand a great chance of being exposed to it now as the poor country is struggling hard to control the rising rates of infection. Some migrants are also being subjected to arbitrary detention and abuse.
Being subject to the worst humanitarian crisis of the world, the Covid-19 has only added to the plight of Ethiopian migrants in Yemen. Since the country is already on the brink of food insecurity and is too close to a potential famine, Yemen is definitely not a safe place for the stranded migrants.
As per a spokesperson of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) – Paul Dillon, “Yemen has been an extremely unsafe place to be a migrant and, COVID-19 has made this situation worse”. He added, “migrants in the country are accused as carriers of the virus and as a result they suffer segregation and violence. They are even suffering forced removals, verbal and physical harassment, increased detention and movement restrictions”.
Records by the IOM claim that the Covid-19 restrictions have reduced the number of migrant arrivals in Yemen by 90 percent in recent months. As compared to the 18,904 migrants in May 2019, only 1,725 people entered the country this year.
IOM experts have raised serious concerns about the spread of coronavirus among the Ethiopian migrants as most of them are sleeping outdoors or in unsafe abandoned buildings. Dillon said, “They have little access to basic services like food, clean water or health care, a worrying situation given how pervasive the virus is believed to be in Yemen”. Officials claim that Yemen can’t take any more migrants majorly due to lack of funding, shutting of health and water programmes”.
For helping the stranded Ethiopian migrants and giving them life-saving assistance, the IOM has partnered with 27 humanitarian and development organisations and governments to raise an appeal for $84 million. The appeal called as Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen has been specially made to improve the hazardous situations faced by migrants.
Source: News Agencies
