Saudi-Emirati Exploitation of African Migrants Fuels Yemen Crisis

Activists have accused the Saudi-Emirati aggression coalition of deliberately allowing the continuous influx of illegal African migrants into Yemen, describing the phenomenon as a strategic tool to impose new pressures on the country amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

According to activists, hundreds of African migrants arrive daily on Yemen’s shores via smuggling boats originating from the Horn of Africa. They say the Saudi-Emirati coalition, which controls the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, deliberately ignores these operations, allowing smugglers to operate openly under their watch.

The activists argue that this inaction is part of a calculated policy designed to exhaust Yemeni society and strain state capacities, especially as the population continues to suffer under the effects of blockade and ongoing attacks. They stress that coalition forces possess the technical and military capabilities to intercept the vessels before reaching Yemen but deliberately refrain from doing so, raising serious questions about the true intent behind this permissiveness.

Observers warn that the persistent arrival of migrants worsens Yemen’s humanitarian and security challenges, threatening social cohesion and economic stability. The activists also highlighted that international organizations have largely overlooked the role of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in perpetuating the crisis.

Reports indicate that African migrants under the control of Saudi and Emirati forces are often subjected to forced labor or held in inhumane conditions. Despite mounting evidence, the flow of migrants continues unabated, pointing to a broader agenda of destabilization.

Analysts say the coalition’s silence is part of a deliberate strategy to create new crises along Yemen’s coasts, facilitating political and military objectives while intensifying local disorder. Activists assert that this approach forms part of a comprehensive campaign by the Saudi-Emirati coalition that has targeted Yemen for more than a decade—not only through bombing and blockade but also by fomenting internal chaos and overwhelming the country with additional social and security challenges.