On Sunday, March 7, scores of Ethiopian refugees died in a horrific fire at a detention facility in Sana’a, Yemen, where nearly 1000 refugees are held by Houthi authorities. The majority of Ethiopian refugees traveling through Yemen are Oromos fleeing persecution from the Ethiopian government and security forces.
Media organizations have reported 44 victims died in the fire. However, witnesses who were being held at the detention center claim that the official tally, first reported by the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), grossly underestimates the death toll.
What Really Happened?
Witnesses claim over 500 people actually died, with 450 deaths on the day of the tragedy and another 62 later succumbing to injuries. This figure would bring the death toll up to 512 people, versus the official estimate of 44 that the media is reporting.
Witnesses say that the fire was no accident.
Witnesses also say that the fire was no accident, as the IOM implied in its initial statements. Instead, families of Ethiopian refugees who were present at the detention center compound have told researchers that the Houthis intentionally burned the facility and killed those inside. A Yemeni researcher reported that the majority of victims were Oromo.
OLLAA was unable to independently verify either the estimated death toll of 512 victims or the conjecture that the Houthis are responsible for the deaths. However, a Yemeni human rights organization has also reported that the Houthis attacked the refugees, based on eyewitness interviews
Why Are Oromos Traveling Through Yemen?
Yemen is the main travelling route for African migrants and refugees making their way to Saudi Arabia and other countries. Thousands of Oromos are forced to leave Ethiopia every year. In Ethiopia, Oromos are targeted for political purposes and face a campaign of persecution and repression, including mass imprisonment, rape, and extrajudicial killings.
In order to access Saudi Arabia and other countries via Yemen, however, migrants and refugees must traverse literal war zones, where both the western-backed coalition government of Yemen as well as the Houthis regularly detain and abuse those traveling.
According to the Mwatana Human Rights Organization, “African refugees and migrants in Yemen have faced multiple forms of severe abuse, including arbitrary detention, torture, and other forms of cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment.”
In this specific incident, the Addis Standard reports that coalition forces originally arrested and detained the refugees, demanding that they pay large fees to secure the proper paperwork, despite the fact that many of the refugees detained possessed UN documentation. After weeks in the coalition detention facility, the Addis Standard writes that the refugees were then transferred to Houthi control, where they received further abuse and violation of their rights.
The Addis Standard’s source claims that the Houthis pressured the group into fighting for them in exchange for their freedom and permission to travel through the country. The refugees launched a hunger strike in response.
The Houthis then retaliated by sealing hundreds of refugees inside a hangar on the detention center compound and fired a wave of unidentified projectiles
The source claims that the Houthis then retaliated by sealing hundreds of refugees inside a hangar on the detention center compound and fired a wave of unidentified projectiles, which subsequently started the blaze.
Remarkably, the IOM says its staff were physically at the compound while this incident occurred.
The authorities in control of the region appear to be engineering efforts to repress information on the incident, particularly among fellow Africans residing in Sana’a. Mwatana reports that many victims of the fire were transported to several hospitals in Sana’a, reportedly prompting the facilities to order all Ethiopian employees to stay home.
The hashtag “#HouthisBurnBlackRefugees” is now trending on Twitter, where a graphic video reportedly showing the remains of burned bodies at the charred compound facility is currently circulating.
Where is Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed?
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Ethiopian human rights organizations have said little to nothing. Where is the outrage from our Ethiopian brothers and sisters in government? How can a nation’s leader remain silent when his people are murdered and fellow citizens are burned alive?
Help us show PM Abiy and the Ethiopian government that Oromo lives are not disposable. Sign our petition to demand a UN investigation and full accountability for this tragedy.