According to the UN/USAID, last month, over 20.000 migrants entered Yemen from Africa, of which the majority intend to reach Saudi Arabia for employment. This is a 90 per cent increase in migrant numbers compared to previous months. [I deliberately chose this UN and USAID statistic to show how close-connected the US and UN are. In fact, they are two sides of the same coin. Contrary to claims, the UN is not an independent organisation.]

The Cradle Media reported that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition artillery once again caused several casualties by indiscriminate shelling in the border area of Sa’ada Governorate in the past two days. Aside from natives of Sa’ada, crossing migrants are at a hightened risk of being caught in the fire, leading to injuries or, worse, loss of life. The majority of migrants from Africa on the lookout for employment cross the Saudi Arabian – Yemeni border at the level of Sa’ada. Many of these migrants do not survive the cumbersome journey, or in the case of female migrants, they become victims of sexual violence and exploitation. It is highly likely that the ones who make it to Saudi Arabia end up as house slaves or in other establishments subjected to unhuman, degrading treatment or torture. Saudi Arabia has no established and functioning workers’ right systems for migrants. Their status as migrant workers is so weak that they are completely dependent on their employers, who, on the other hand, take great advantage of this imbalanced predicament of migrant workers. Working conditions for the large expatriate labor force are often exploitative. Migrant workers from Africa and Yemen are at higher risk of ill-treatment or even death compared to white migrant workers from the global north. However, the imminent danger to migrant workers from the South is persistent and remains widely ignored.