Aden (South24)

Local and international media sources and outlets stated that a boat carrying "hundreds of illegal African migrants" sank on Sunday off the coasts of "Ras al-Ara", Lahj governorate, South Yemen.

According to "Al-Ayyam" local newspaper, Over 150 dead bodies of illegal African migrants were found floating over the sea surface on a late-night yesterday. ^[1]

Dozens of dead bodies were seen floating according to local fishermen from Ras al-Ara, Lahj governorate. While "Sky News" Arabia noted out that 250 illegal migrants coming from Africa towards Yemen perished in the incident. ^[2]

"Al Ayyam" reported from security and local sources that the sinking causes were due to a crash of the boat with a ship at sea which led to the sinking of all boarding migrants.

"The boat that sank in the Red Sea and carrying hundreds of migrants is owned by a person from the city of Mocha in western Yemen", local sources told "South24". IOM said it is verifying "reports that a vessel carrying a large number of migrants from the Horn of Africa has sunk off the coast of Yemen". And confirmed that its teams are "on the ground and ready to respond to the needs of survivors". [3]

No official statement issued from Yemeni coast guards or any related authority in the Yemeni government. The confirmed number of victims and their nationalities is yet to be announced.

In recent years, smuggling boats and ships carried thousands of African migrants, mostly youth, to the coasts of South Yemen.

Hundreds of them can be seen in different Southern governorate in particular Aden coastal city where they occupy streets making them a place for sleep and living.

#BREAKING

Photos reveal the large-scale smuggling of African migrants towards Aden, South Yemen#South24 pic.twitter.com/sJOdo5Dqw7

— South24 | English (@South24E) June 12, 2021

Many immigrants pass Yemen with the intention of heading to Saudi Arabia especially with human traffickers promising them to be delivered to the oil-rich country.

Most of them fail in exceeding South's border with Saudi Arabia and remain stuck in Southern governorate with some even at North Yemen territories.

Previous reports revealed that some of those African migrants are military recruited by the Houthis in North Yemen. South Yemen authorities fear the recruitments of terrorist organizations such as AQAP and ISIS.

Read Also: Information Minister of the parity government: The Houthis are increasing recruitment of African migrants and refugees

African migrants live in a miserable humanitarian situation due to the state of war and the economic collapse the country is facing which makes their presence a further burden.

Some immigrants stated in previous interviews with "South24" their beating and physical abuse experiments as well for verbal assault and exploitation.

- Photo source: (AP, Voice of America) Migrants ask for help from a dinghy boat as they are approached by the SOS Meditrranee's sh Aquarius- background, off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, April 17, 2016