200,000 Yemenis struggle after being forced to leave Saudi Arabia

[News_Editor]

SANA'A, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- The Yemeni government has asked the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to provide assistance to some 200,000 Yemeni migrant workers forced to leave Saudi Arabia as part of a crackdown on undocumented migrants in the Kingdom, the organization said Friday.

More irregular Yemeni migrants could return from Saudi Arabia in the coming months, following the extension through November of a Saudi amnesty for undocumented migrants previously scheduled to expire this week, according to IOM Yemen.

The Yemeni government has now asked IOM Yemen to support vulnerable returnees, some of whom are thought to have been in Saudi Arabia for two or three generations, by providing basic assistance in terms of shelter, access to water through well rehabilitation and water trucking, non-food relief items and hygiene kits.

They have also asked for IOM medical and other facilities in the border town of Haradh to be made available to vulnerable Yemenis returning overland. Currently, the facilities are used mainly to help stranded migrants from the Horn of Africa.

In recent weeks, many returning Yemenis have been seen on roads near Haradh trying to hitch rides on passing trucks to get back to their villages. The returnees add to a growing pool of often destitute migrants who make the dangerous and expensive trip across the Gulf of Aden from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in the hope of finding jobs in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.

The number from the Horn of Africa arriving in Yemen reportedly increased from 34,000 in 2010, to over 75,000 in 2011 and 84,000 in 2012. Over 35,000 have arrived in the first five months of 2013.

Since the fencing of the border with Saudi Arabia, the Saudi crackdown on undocumented migrants and raids on people smugglers' camps carried out by the Yemeni Ministry of Defense, many more migrants have become stranded in Haradh, where an estimated 25,000 irregular destitute migrants are now living in often terrible conditions, without adequate shelter and access to food, water and medical assistance.

IOM, which runs a Migrant Response Center (MRC) including a clinic in Haradh, has already assisted almost 19,000 Ethiopian migrants to voluntarily return home since 2007. Since April, IOM has assisted another 765 Ethiopians, a third of them unaccompanied minors, to fly home.

But while the number of stranded migrants continues to increase, funding for the program has shrunk. At the beginning of 2013, IOM was forced to scale back its distribution of free meals, provide less shelter and make fewer medical referrals.

UN funding and in-kind donations from WFP and UNICEF enabled the resumption of flights in June and some humanitarian services provided by the MRC. But IOM Yemen still needs $3 million to meet the Yemeni government's appeal to provide ongoing shelter, food, basic health care and protection for migrants and returnees, as well as voluntary return flights for stranded Ethiopian migrants.

(Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

[Steely Dan]

Could you imagine the uproar if Western nations adopted the same approach to illegal immigrants.

[GentlemanJim]

Could you imagine the uproar if Western nations adopted the same approach to illegal immigrants.

And because of oil, they will all just turn a blind eye!

[ABCer]

What oil has to do with it?

Saudis exercise their right to protect their interests. And they do not care if the world has one blind eye.

It would have been a good thing if the so-called West countries had the guts to do the same.

And bugger the uproar.

I like it - first the Yemenis (only about 250,000 of them) go to Saudi Arabia because they are poor and vulnerable, now they are forced to return once again poor and vulnerable.

The question is what have they been doing in Saudi Arabia? Some say - making a better living, others say - undermining the regime.

Edited July 7, 2013 by ABCer

[GentlemanJim]

What oil has to do with it?

Saudis exercise their right to protect their interests. And they do not care if the world has one blind eye.

It would have been a good thing if the so-called West countries had the guts to do the same.

And bugger the uproar.

I like it - first the Yemenis (only about 250,000 of them) go to Saudi Arabia because they are poor and vulnerable, now they are forced to return once again poor and vulnerable.

The question is what have they been doing in Saudi Arabia? Some say - making a better living, others say - undermining the regime.

Oil has everything to do with the reactions of foreign politicians.

What were the Yemeni's doing there There are also thousands of illegal Filapino and indian maids there as well but they were not illegal when they arrived on their 3 year contract maybe 15 years ago. Many are locked up and incarcerated in the high walled prison cells that are the houses in Saudi Arabia.

A bit of a naive post really.

[ABCer]

What oil has to do with it?

Saudis exercise their right to protect their interests. And they do not care if the world has one blind eye.

It would have been a good thing if the so-called West countries had the guts to do the same.

And bugger the uproar.

I like it - first the Yemenis (only about 250,000 of them) go to Saudi Arabia because they are poor and vulnerable, now they are forced to return once again poor and vulnerable.

The question is what have they been doing in Saudi Arabia? Some say - making a better living, others say - undermining the regime.

Oil has everything to do with the reactions of foreign politicians.

What were the Yemeni's doing there There are also thousands of illegal Filapino and indian maids there as well but they were not illegal when they arrived on their 3 year contract maybe 15 years ago. Many are locked up and incarcerated in the high walled prison cells that are the houses in Saudi Arabia.

A bit of a naive post really.

Thanks, Jim. Let's agree to disagree on this one.

Oil is a good thing. Oil revenues is used by different countries in very different ways.

Saudis are not the best, but not the worst of them.

250,000 is a high percentage for Saudi Arabia.

Maybe Saudis do not like a perpetual 'spring' the other Arabs are enjoying today.

In any case - it is their business. And they are exercising their rights. Surely you can see that.

As to my naivety - I am always happy to exchange the acquired reality for my lost illusions...

[GentlemanJim]

What oil has to do with it?

Saudis exercise their right to protect their interests. And they do not care if the world has one blind eye.

It would have been a good thing if the so-called West countries had the guts to do the same.

And bugger the uproar.

I like it - first the Yemenis (only about 250,000 of them) go to Saudi Arabia because they are poor and vulnerable, now they are forced to return once again poor and vulnerable.

The question is what have they been doing in Saudi Arabia? Some say - making a better living, others say - undermining the regime.

Oil has everything to do with the reactions of foreign politicians.

What were the Yemeni's doing there There are also thousands of illegal Filapino and indian maids there as well but they were not illegal when they arrived on their 3 year contract maybe 15 years ago. Many are locked up and incarcerated in the high walled prison cells that are the houses in Saudi Arabia.

A bit of a naive post really.

Thanks, Jim. Let's agree to disagree on this one.

Oil is a good thing. Oil revenues is used by different countries in very different ways.

Saudis are not the best, but not the worst of them.

250,000 is a high percentage for Saudi Arabia.

Maybe Saudis do not like a perpetual 'spring' the other Arabs are enjoying today.

In any case - it is their business. And they are exercising their rights. Surely you can see that.

As to my naivety - I am always happy to exchange the acquired reality for my lost illusions...

Well the North Koreans are just exercising their rights, that doesn't make it correct does it? The manipulation of oil markets and the blackmail of monopolies does not make oil a good thing no. Oil is a good thing for those that own it as it allows them to behave in any way they want and nobody will voice condemnation.

So yes, lets leave it and agree to disagree.

[iancnx]

To understand why there are so many Yemini's in KSR you first need to understand what happened during and in the aftermath of the British failure in Aden. The Saudi's welcomed the vast majority of the Sultans into exile with welcome arms and along with them many ordinary poor Yemeni's who managed to get out. That provided a robust workforce of labourers who have made a significant contribution to the infrastructure development of Saudi Arabia..... And now they will be discarded as so called illegals. Shameful, but not unexpected from one of the most corrupt and inept regimes on the planet who pay zero attention to human rights, or human dignity, and who treat women like s£&t. Wait till the oil runs out....... The House of Saudi will scurry back into the desert in sad realisation that their western sponsors have their sights firmly pinned to the North and East...... And the Yemini's will not be so forgiving.

[Steely Dan]

To understand why there are so many Yemini's in KSR you first need to understand what happened during and in the aftermath of the British failure in Aden. The Saudi's welcomed the vast majority of the Sultans into exile with welcome arms and along with them many ordinary poor Yemeni's who managed to get out. That provided a robust workforce of labourers who have made a significant contribution to the infrastructure development of Saudi Arabia..... And now they will be discarded as so called illegals. Shameful, but not unexpected from one of the most corrupt and inept regimes on the planet who pay zero attention to human rights, or human dignity, and who treat women like s£&t. Wait till the oil runs out....... The House of Saudi will scurry back into the desert in sad realisation that their western sponsors have their sights firmly pinned to the North and East...... And the Yemini's will not be so forgiving.

I'm not sure what proportion of Yemenis are Shiite, but I would not be surprised to see Saudi Arabia try to reduce the number of Shiite Muslims resident there as there is a good chance a large scale inter-denomination war will break out within the Islamic world.

[iancnx]

To understand why there are so many Yemini's in KSR you first need to understand what happened during and in the aftermath of the British failure in Aden. The Saudi's welcomed the vast majority of the Sultans into exile with welcome arms and along with them many ordinary poor Yemeni's who managed to get out. That provided a robust workforce of labourers who have made a significant contribution to the infrastructure development of Saudi Arabia..... And now they will be discarded as so called illegals. Shameful, but not unexpected from one of the most corrupt and inept regimes on the planet who pay zero attention to human rights, or human dignity, and who treat women like s£&t. Wait till the oil runs out....... The House of Saudi will scurry back into the desert in sad realisation that their western sponsors have their sights firmly pinned to the North and East...... And the Yemini's will not be so forgiving.

I'm not sure what proportion of Yemenis are Shiite, but I would not be surprised to see Saudi Arabia try to reduce the number of Shiite Muslims resident there as there is a good chance a large scale inter-denomination war will break out within the Islamic world.

Roughly 55% Sunni centred on Sanaa, and 45% Shia concentrated around the Aden coast and Hadramaut from memory.

I share your concerns about a possible future conflict Sunni v Shia and crucially you suggest across the Islamic world. This would include the 'stans'. Bearing in mind Pakistan (nuclear power) is 88% Sunni it is not hard to see where Uncle Sam might prefer to pitch his tent. Hopefully the 200m + Indonesians (primarily Sunni) would not be sucked in.

[Naam]

To understand why there are so many Yemini's in KSR you first need to understand what happened during and in the aftermath of the British failure in Aden. The Saudi's welcomed the vast majority of the Sultans into exile with welcome arms and along with them many ordinary poor Yemeni's who managed to get out. That provided a robust workforce of labourers who have made a significant contribution to the infrastructure development of Saudi Arabia..... And now they will be discarded as so called illegals. Shameful, but not unexpected from one of the most corrupt and inept regimes on the planet who pay zero attention to human rights, or human dignity, and who treat women like s£&t. Wait till the oil runs out....... The House of Saudi will scurry back into the desert in sad realisation that their western sponsors have their sights firmly pinned to the North and East...... And the Yemini's will not be so forgiving.

yep! for sure the Yemenis will fight the Saudi's latest weaponry (supplied by the Greatest Nation on Earth™) with their daggers whilst chewing qat.

for the record: Saudi Arabia is repatriating "undocumented" Yemenis most of them illegally crossing into Saudi Arabia during the last decade. the remaining estimated 600-800,000 Yemeni citizens in the Kingdom do not face any problems.

[iancnx]

To understand why there are so many Yemini's in KSR you first need to understand what happened during and in the aftermath of the British failure in Aden. The Saudi's welcomed the vast majority of the Sultans into exile with welcome arms and along with them many ordinary poor Yemeni's who managed to get out. That provided a robust workforce of labourers who have made a significant contribution to the infrastructure development of Saudi Arabia..... And now they will be discarded as so called illegals. Shameful, but not unexpected from one of the most corrupt and inept regimes on the planet who pay zero attention to human rights, or human dignity, and who treat women like s£&t. Wait till the oil runs out....... The House of Saudi will scurry back into the desert in sad realisation that their western sponsors have their sights firmly pinned to the North and East...... And the Yemini's will not be so forgiving.

yep! for sure the Yemenis will fight the Saudi's latest weaponry (supplied by the Greatest Nation on Earth™) with their daggers whilst chewing qat.

for the record: Saudi Arabia is repatriating "undocumented" Yemenis most of them illegally crossing into Saudi Arabia during the last decade. the remaining estimated 600-800,000 Yemeni citizens in the Kingdom do not face any problems.

Thanks for the clarity.

Many of the 200,000 have no doubt been working for sure, doing the multitude of jobs the Saudis will not - can not do.

As for the weapon systems. Well the greatest nation on earth will have a duty unto themselves to ensure all such weapon systems become obsolete around the same time that Saudi oil dries up.

As for Yemeni daggers...... Such weapons may become more sophisticated if the rumours of huge Yemeni oil reserves as yet untapped prove to be true. Qat and daggers might end up north of the border. Stranger things have happened.

[Naam]

Many of the 200,000 have no doubt been working for sure, doing the multitude of jobs the Saudis will not - can not do.

Yemenis are very hard workers and were hardly ever used for lowest level jobs. the latter were and are most of the time carried out by cheaper labour from Asia which is sponsor bound and exploited by the Saudis is an unbelievable manner. traditionally Yemenis do not need a sponsor and are able to change employer any time they want.

on a lighter note: many rainy seasons ago, when our company made it mandatory for all employees to wear uniforms, most of our Yemenis refused to change their skirts for trousers. they argued: "yuck! then we look like women!"