Yemen-Horn of Africa: 130 migrants die after coast guards open fire

ANAA, 15 April 2007 (IRIN) - Somali community leaders in Sana'a said on Saturday that 130 African migrants died at sea when their boat capsized off the Yemeni coast after coast guards opened fire on them.

Three boats carrying 460 African migrants, Somalis and Ethiopians, left the Somali port of Bossaso on 9 April and arrived in Yemeni regional waters late on 12 April.

“As the smuggling boats entered the Yemeni waters, coast guards began firing on them, causing one boat to capsize,” Sadat Mohammed, head of refugee affairs in the Somali community in Sana’a, told IRIN.

“The boat was carrying African migrants, most of whom were women from Ethiopia. The shooting forced the terrified passengers to move and they couldn’t maintain their balance. Their boat capsized as a result,” Mohammed added. [Read more]