News - Middle East: An international organization is calling for the Saudi regime to be held accountable for the mass killings suffered by displaced Africans of Ethiopian nationality. International human rights circles have documented ongoing mass killings by Saudi forces in the Gulf of Aden, prompting calls for accountability and the severing of relations with the kingdom.

On August 21st, Human Rights Watch published a report on the mass killings of Ethiopians on the Saudi-Yemeni border. It indicates that the indiscriminate use of force by Saudi authorities began in March 2022 and continues to this day.

This crisis is of utmost importance, as tens of thousands take this route to travel from the Horn of Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration. 

Rights circles have stated that the claims made by experts on the ground regarding the violations committed by Saudi authorities are horrifying. Border forces bear responsibility for shelling, arbitrary detention, rape by coercion, and mistreatment of individuals.

Saudi authorities also continue deliberate and systematic escalation of targeted killing operations. Human Rights Watch reported the use of explosive weapons and orders to open fire on people from any location, including women and children.

The organization affirmed the need to ensure the rights of these populations, as the systematic killings on the Saudi border and the risk of an ethnic war escalating can lead to a dramatic human rights crisis.

For this reason, the international community must demand accountability from the Saudi government.

The use of lethal force in an indiscriminate manner can rise to the level of a crime against humanity if adopted as a policy by the kingdom. Additionally, the use of explosive weapons is prohibited under international humanitarian law.

Human rights circles urged the severing of all diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and governments to condemn the ongoing violations at the border.

Furthermore, even if Saudi Arabia is not part of the International Criminal Court, it is advisable to obtain a statement from United Nations officials condemning the blatant violations of criminal and humanitarian law.