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ADEN, Yemen For two decades, Somalis fleeing their failed state found in Yemen a safe haven, a place to work, and a gateway to wealthier gulf states.
Now, Yemen, itself facing state failure, is far from the ideal refuge. But driven by famine and war in their own country, Somalis in greater numbers than ever are making the perilous journey across the Arabian Sea to this crumbling nation. They brave overcrowded boats, sometimes stormy seas, and smugglers ready to cast them overboard to lighten a listing craft.
Many of the thousands who arrive here each month have no knowledge of Yemens dismal state, not the long months of uprising and economic decay, the urban warfare that has killed dozens of civilians in major cities, or the Islamic militants seizure of large parts of the southeast.
Knowing, however, probably would not have dissuaded most.
I just heard that they want to expel the president, and Yemen is trying for a revolution, said Zahra Ibrahim, 29, who left her three children with her parents in Mogadishu, Somalias capital, paying smugglers $120 to get her to Yemen to look for work.
Its better than Somalia, even if its a war, she said.
Many of the refugees end up here in a slum known as Basateen, living in makeshift homes and finding what little work they can. Some live in a refugee camp in the middle of the desert 80 miles west of Aden. Many want to move on to Saudi Arabia or other oil-rich states, but cannot find the means to do so or are turned around at the border.
Aid groups count more than 200,000 Somalis residing in Yemen now, but with most of their foreign staff members evacuated, their help is limited.
The future offers gradations of bleak. Yemenis are not hiring housekeepers or car washers, the usual Somali employments.
On a recent day, a crowd of stick-thin young men gathered in front of a Basateen restaurant known for providing free lunch to new Somali arrivals. Honking horns and shouting vendors turned the dusty central market around them into a commotion of midday activity. A short walk away, Somali women who recently arrived sat atop thin mattresses strewn across the floor of a large shed, a shelter for the slums most vulnerable.
There is no life in Mogadishu, said Miriam Musa, a pregnant 22-year-old with three young children clinging to her side. She said her husband was still in Somalia.
Sheik Abdul Qader Hussein, a Somali community organizer in Basateen, said that what the new arrivals were fleeing was worse than in the past, and that what they now faced was also worse.
All of the new people, they dont have money, or family here, he said. They go three days without eating a thing.
A 15-year-old Somali who traveled here alone, Ali Ibrahim, was struggling to find a way forward. My mother gave me the money to be smuggled, he said. She wanted me to go to Saudi Arabia and find work. I am only 10 days here, but I see its not good. I see the people here are worried about war.
Those brought by smugglers the 200 or more miles from Somalia to Yemens southeastern shore wait for days for a local nongovernmental group to take them to Aden. The trip now takes 12 hours instead of 4, and is frequently postponed. They must detour around the coastline route and the city of Zinjibar, which was taken over by Islamic militants, but clashes break out along the alternate route, too.
Male refugees are often too impatient to wait. They take off on foot, walking more than 100 dusty miles across Abyan Province. The journey can take up to a week, and the dangers extend beyond the militants who control parts of the route. The heat is searing; bandits may rob the refugees of what little money they carry perhaps just $20.
On Yemens western coast, Somalis, along with some Ethiopians and Eritreans, take a shorter, costlier route from Djibouti. But other traffickers have begun preying on those migrants, aid organizations say, forcing them into cars after they land, raping women and demanding ransoms.
A U.S. drone strike on a vehicle just outside the capital of Sanaa killed six suspected al-Qaeda militants Wednesday night, three Yemeni Defense Ministry officials told CNN. The strike took place in Al-Masna'a village of Khawlan district, 35 kilometers southeast of the capital. Three of the killed were senior members of al Qaeda, two of whom were Saudi nationals, the officials said. Security teams were deployed to the scene, one of the officials said. "Yemen needs stability and these militants must be killed if Yemen has a chance to stabilize, " said a Defense Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to media.
He said that more strikes will continue and that al Qaeda is living its weakest days in Yemen. "The militants know that no place in Yemen is safe for them anymore, even in areas close to the capital Sana'a," he added. The United States views Yemen as being on the front line of the war on al Qaeda. Yemen is adjacent to Saudi Arabia, and chaos in Yemen could disrupt oil supplies and upset world energy markets. Eyewitnesses told CNN that three missiles were used in the attack after the first missed its target. Flames from the attack burned for more than an hour.
Khawlan is one of the most lawless areas in the country and al Qaeda uses it as a traveling route to numerous parts of the country, local tribal leaders said. "There is no government presence in many parts of Khawlan. No security forces, checkpoints, military presence or police stations," said Ahmed Obad al-Shuraif, a top tribal chief in Khawlan. The attack was the 8th reported by a U.S. drone over in the last four days in Yemen, the Defense Ministry officials said. When Yemen's 2011 uprising led to the al Qaeda invasion of Abyan -- the southern province of Yemen -- Washington was quick to call on newly elected President Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi to set his house in order and address militarily the threat posed by al-Qaeda in the country.
But drone strikes missed targets on a couple of occasions, resulting in civilian casualties and strong criticism from the Yemeni government. The latest string of criticism came from Human Rights Minister Hooria Mashour, who said that due to civilian deaths she was in favor of changing the anti-terrorism strategy. "All we are calling for is justice and reliance on international regulations with regard to human rights and to be true to our commitment to our citizens in that they all deserve a fair trial," Mashour said.
Drone strike kills six suspected militants in Yemen - CNN.com
