Yemen Rolls out Maritime Security Zone
Yemen is establishing a maritime security zone along the country's 2,500 kilometre-long coastline to deter illegal immigrants from entering the country, reports The Middle East Monitor.
The zone encompasses around 30 per cent of Yemen's territorial waters as determined by internationally-agreed limits, says the head of the Yemeni Coast Guard, Brigadier Ahmed Subhi. Coast Guard personnel are patrolling around the clock to maintain the secure waters.
According to Subhi, the illegal migrants to Yemen usually originate in Africa. Those who are apprehended are handed over to the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Deputy Foreign Minister Amir Aidaroos said last June that the number of immigrants and illegal refugees who are registered officially in Yemen had reached nearly 750,000 people.
Most came from countries in the Horn of Africa, mainly Somalia and Ethiopia, and are often employed in unskilled jobs at rates which undercut the local levels. Illegal immigrants are thus blamed for the high unemployment rate amongst native Yemenis, as employers prefer to hire the cheaper migrants.
