As boat capsizes off Yemen coast the international community fails to address the root causes of migration

[Deeq A.]

By Ahmed Abdi

Frustrated with staying in the camps for decades and suffering a prolonged period of resettlement procedures, refugees opted to immigrate to Europe through human smugglers that partnered with workers of money-transfer schemes.

The European Union experienced a mass exodus of African refugees for two executive years- 2015 and 2016. Among of them, were refugees referred their cases to the United States and EU nearly seven years ago by the UNHCR.

The United Nations’s protection counseling officials at UNHCR Yemen get bribes from the vulnerable refugees for their resettlement programs through individuals who act as a go-between between the refugees and the UN Refugee Agency.

Even though the intermediaries get a small share of the money they receive a promise of resettlement for a third country but they often get in terrible when the refugees demand the return of their money from the UNHCR staffers. The pressure of solving the issue before anyone else learns and not paying on time by the UN staff encourages them to act violently by hiring gangs that intimidate the refugee clients.

In July 2015, The Swedish government helped dozens of Horn of African refugees from Yemen to settle in its country successfully but many of the refugees could not refer their cases to Sweden without bribing the UN Refugee Agency.

From then, the Swedish government quit taking in refugees from Yemen. The reason for not accepting refugees from Yemen is not immediately clear; however, a reporter from Swedish national TV (SVT) said when was asked if the decision relates to the bribery: “I don’t know. But the story was familiar in Stockholm.”

Most refugees felt helpless after their former leader Yusuf Goggaar who challenged with an International Organization allegedly executed by poison along with his wife. His two daughters survived and moved to Somaliland when Dahabshiil company helped them.

Another Somali Christian father who thought Christianity will save him from the gangs that regard the truth as their main enemy likely died of poisoning. He was waiting for a resettlement from Australia for years before his tragic demise. He was buried in Muslim Cemetery in Sana’a by his fellow Somali men. He left behind a son of his and his Bible. Australia no longer takes in African refugees from Yemen.

African immigrants trying to escape poverty, unemployment and state repression die in the sea lanes every single year due to Canada, Germany, UK, US, Australia,Japan, China, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, EU, AU, and International communities inaction in terms of protecting refugees/Asylees and promoting democracy.

As traveling through the area of Yemeni port of Hodeidah declined following several years of use —  many smugglers changed their work from human smugglers to drug smugglers  — that infiltrate the Kingdom’s borders to smuggle Hashish— after 42 Somali refugees were killed when a helicopter gunship attacked their boat off  Yemeni coast in March last year.

Many of the smugglers left Sana’a to resume their work at the Gulf of Aden where they receive help from persons wearing the uniform when it comes to re-arresting refugees and immigrants fleeing from the smugglers.

At least 30 African refugees and migrants have drowned off the coast of Yemen after the boat they were traveling on capsized. Smugglers reportedly also fired on passengers.

Both UNHCR’s repatriation program and its “Dangerous Crossing Campaign” provided a fruitless because the Agency outsources key sectors of its actual work duties to specific NGOs who provide a  limited support to their refugee clients. Some of the NGOs founded by individuals left the UNHCR after enriching themselves.

A senior Jubaland State official said in early January that the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has “intentionally created a humanitarian catastrophe” in the Jubaland state of Somalia.

“People started to go back the same camps that UNHR established for them 27 years ago,” said Abdirashid Ali Gooni, Governor of Lower Juba.

 UN wanted to ensure food and water are provided the repatriated Somali refugees from Dadaab through their partner American Refugee Committee (ARC) but did not happen.

While International Community, the World Bank and IMF are not doing enough to help African nationals in their homeland, the African heads of states aim at staying in office to run their countries as long as possible and oftentimes execute their political rivals— crackdown dissents to avoid losing power which forces people to escape persecution and eventually end up in the refugee camps or die in the sea lanes.

The pressing question on the minds of many refugees and asylum-seekers is, “Will World Leaders address the root causes of migration at the World Economic Forum in Davos and African Union summit?”