Two United Nations agencies said Friday in a statement that it is "outraged and saddened" by the drowning of at least 30 refugees and migrants off the coast of Yemen, earlier this week.
The statement was from the International Organization for Migration, the U.N. migration agency and the U.N. refugee agency.
The migrants were on a boat "believed to have been operated by unscrupulous smugglers" attempting to take the passengers to Djibouti, "while also trying to extort more money," according to the accounts from the 152 Somalis and Ethiopians who were onboard the watercraft, the statement said.
The boat overturned "amid reports of gunfire being used against the passengers," said the agencies.
IOM Director William Lacy Swing said for almost five years the U.N. has been saying "the preservation of human life is our utmost priority everywhere" and "Yemen is no exception."
The agencies said they "have long been warning that prolonged conflict and insecurity in Yemen exposes vulnerable refugees and migrants to a heightened risk of human rights violations, including arbitrary arrest, detention, trafficking and deportation."
The statement said more that 87,000 migrants and refugees risked their lives in 2017 to reach Yemen from the Horn of Africa by boat, "despite prevailing conflict and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions."
Last year, the U.N. launched "Dangerous Crossings," a regional awareness campaign to inform people contemplating the journey to Yemen about the hazardous conditions in Yemen.
Read More 30 Migrants, Refugees Dead Off Yemen Coast : http://ift.tt/2EaITFo
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