Saudi border forces accused of deadly attacks on Ethiopian migrants

Saudi Arabian border forces stand accused of using indiscriminate force against migrants, with Ethiopian nationals reporting killings, injuries and sexual assaults whilst attempting to cross from neighbouring Yemen between 2019 and 2024.

Multiple Ethiopian migrants have provided accounts to the Guardian of coming under machine gun fire and witnessing bodies decomposing in the border area, with incidents continuing as recently as December 2024.

“I personally saw three people die next to me,” recounted one Ethiopian who attempted to cross at night into Saudi’s Najran province with dozens of others in 2022.

“One of my legs was blown away by the Saudi fire. There were body parts of the injured and the dead all around me,” they recalled.

The testimonies align with findings from a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report published in August 2023, which concluded that Saudi border guards killed “hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers” along the Yemen border from March 2022 to June 2023 “in a pattern that is widespread and systematic” using firearms and explosive weaponry.

HRW determined these actions may amount to crimes against humanity. The organisation documented incidents including Saudi border guards allegedly shooting an Ethiopian man who refused to rape two girls, before forcing a teenage boy to assault them.

“There is a complete culture of impunity and unaccountability at the border,” said Nadia Hardman, who authored the HRW report. “It’s impossible to know the true scale of the killings. No one has independent access to these areas. They are basically off limits.”

The Guardian reports that requests for comment from the Saudi Arabian government and the Saudi embassy in Ethiopia regarding these allegations have received no response.

Saudi Arabia hosts approximately 750,000 Ethiopian migrants, with more than half believed to have entered illegally. Those who successfully cross often find low-paid employment in construction, agriculture or domestic service.

The number of Ethiopians making this dangerous journey increased by 32% between 2022 and 2023, reaching 96,670 according to UN figures. Many migrants originate from regions affected by civil conflict, poverty and climate crises.

Saudi authorities have conducted extensive operations to detain and deport thousands of illegal migrants in recent years. The kingdom faces increasing scrutiny over migrant worker conditions as it prepares to host the 2034 Football World Cup, which includes plans to build 11 new stadiums.

“Saudi Arabia has thrown its money around to get into the diplomatic fold,” Hardman noted. “Unless states dealing with Saudi Arabia send a message saying they will not tolerate abuses, they will sadly continue”.