Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia to investigate border guards allegedly shooting migrants as HRW report spurs global concern
\nADDIS ABABA
\nEthiopia will launch a joint investigation with Saudi Arabia into a Human Rights Watch report accusing the kingdom\u2019s border guards of killing hundreds of Ethiopian migrants, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
\n\u201cThe Government of Ethiopia will promptly investigate the incident in tandem with the Saudi Authorities,\u201d the ministry said on X, formerly Twitter, a day after the publication of the HRW report sparked global outrage.
\n\u201cAt this critical juncture, it is highly advised to exercise utmost restraint from making unnecessary speculations until (the) investigation is complete,\u201d the ministry said, noting the \u201cexcellent longstanding relations\u201d between Addis Ababa and Riyadh.
\nThe allegations, described as \u201cunfounded\u201d by a Saudi government source, point to a surge in abuses along the perilous route from the Horn of Africa to Saudi Arabia, where hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians live and work.
\nOne 20-year-old woman from Ethiopia\u2019s Oromia region, interviewed by HRW, said Saudi border guards opened fire on a group of migrants they had just released from custody. \u201cThey fired on us like rain. When I remember, I cry,\u201d she said.
\nWashington, a long-time ally of Riyadh, urged \u201ca thorough and transparent investigation\u201d into the allegations, which were dismissed by a Saudi government source who spoke to AFP.
\n\u201cThe allegations included in the Human Rights Watch report about Saudi border guards shooting Ethiopians while they were crossing the Saudi-Yemeni border are unfounded and not based on reliable sources,\u201d said the source, who requested anonymity.
\nThe European Union noted with \u201cconcern\u201d the HRW allegations and plans to raise them with Riyadh and with the Huthi rebels who control strategic parts of Yemen, a spokesman, Peter Stano, said Tuesday.
\n\u201cWe welcome the announcement by the government of Ethiopia, specifically, to investigate the whole issue together with the authorities in Saudi Arabia,\u201d he said.
\nUnited Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric called the report \u201cvery concerning\u201d but noted the \u201cserious\u201d allegations were difficult to verify.
\nNew York-based HRW has documented abuses against Ethiopian migrants in Saudi Arabia and Yemen for nearly a decade.
\nBut it said the latest killings appear to be \u201cwidespread and systematic\u201d and may amount to crimes against humanity.
\nLast year, UN experts reported \u201cconcerning allegations\u201d that \u201ccross-border artillery shelling and small-arms fire by Saudi Arabia security forces killed approximately 430 migrants\u201d in southern Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen during the first four months of 2022.
\nIn March that year, repatriation of Ethiopians from Saudi Arabia began under an agreement between the two countries.
\nEthiopia\u2019s foreign ministry said about 100,000 of its citizens were expected to be sent home over several months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia to investigate border guards allegedly shooting migrants as HRW report spurs global concern ADDIS ABABA Ethiopia will launch a joint investigation with Saudi Arabia into a Human Rights Watch report accusing the kingdom\u2019s border guards of killing hundreds of Ethiopian migrants, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. \u201cThe Government of Ethiopia will promptly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-350992","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n