Fleeing refugees' deaths underscore Somali crisis

[Dhaga Bacayl]

Fleeing refugees' deaths underscore Somali crisis
By Ahmed Al-Haj
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN'A, Yemen -- The deaths of at least 31 people forced overboard in stormy seas -- some stabbed, raped or butchered with clubs -- illustrates a growing security problem in the pirate- and smuggler-infested waters between Yemen and Somalia.

The problem is likely to worsen, the United Nations says, as thousands of desperate Somalis try to escape the poverty and turmoil in their country.

Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia in December to protect the internationally backed government, which was battling Islamic militants. The situation has remained chaotic, leaving many people desperate to get away and at the mercy of human smugglers.

In the latest incident, smugglers carrying refugees to Yemen forced hundreds overboard in stormy seas Thursday in an effort to make a fast getaway from Yemeni security forces, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Thirty-one bodies have been found so far, and nearly 90 people are missing, Yemeni officials said.

Passengers who resisted the smugglers were stabbed or beaten with wooden and steel clubs, then thrown into the water where some were attacked by sharks, the UNHCR said, citing survivors. Some bodies showed signs of severe mutilation and several Ethiopian women and one Somali were raped during the voyage.

All the refugees had come from the town of Bosaso in Somalia's Puntland region, the UNHCR said.

Somalia has long been one of the most unstable countries in Africa, but the brutality of the recent fighting there has focused new attention on its refugee crisis.

UNHCR said it plans to appeal internationally for more aid to help Yemen deal with the flood of refugees. It also is trying to educate people in Somalia not to trust smugglers who promise to carry them across the Gulf of Aden.

[Spragga Benz]

disgusting piece of vommit. you're trying to stir problems between daarood and hawiye? what's up with these posts of yours?

[Dhaga Bacayl]

^^^

Where did it say it was hawiye that were killed?

These were innocent Somali Muslims including daarood that were murder in middle of the ocean. It’s been going on for too long and these creature must be stopped.

If you have problem with that you can kiss my asz.

[Babygal]

fock all the tribes in somalia.....they all focking doomed...hope they all burn in hell..

[Spragga Benz]

[quote="Dhaga Bacayl"]
If you have problem with that you can kiss my asz.[/quote]

yeah you would like that, wouldn't cha? no thanks.....

buy some creme for those hemerhoids before you throw these kinda proposals into people's faces.