In the chaos of war, survival often entails navigating perilous circumstances, but for Ethiopian migrants who had fled their homeland, recent airstrikes added further trauma to their plight. A detention facility in Saada, Yemen, was hit by U.S.-made bombs on April 28, leading to devastating consequences for the individuals inside. Among the survivors, Fanta Ali Ahmed, 32, recalls awakening to the sound of warplanes that night—a familiar terror that had followed him after fleeing the violence in Tigray, Ethiopia, amid civil war.
Ahmed, who was detained while attempting to reach Saudi Arabia, had been hoping for safety when he encountered the Yemeni authorities. Instead, he faced captivity in a rickety prison where he and over a hundred other migrants endured weeks of uncertainty, while the specter of airstrikes loomed nearby. On that fateful night, when the bombs struck, panic ensued, and helplessness transformed into chaos. “The place and everyone in it were mangled,” Ahmed described, recounting how he initially believed he was alone in his suffering, only to later learn that ten people nearby had been killed.
With injuries that included broken limbs and severe lacerations, Ahmed is left grappling with a haunting question: “I don’t know why America bombed us.” His perplexity echoes amongst other survivors who, like him, find themselves trapped between the oppressiveness of their circumstances and the indiscriminate violence of the airstrikes.
As the United Nations reports increasing numbers of migrants—over 60,000 arriving in Yemen from the Horn of Africa in 2024—this incident highlights the urgent need for dialogue and intervention concerning the treatment of vulnerable populations amidst geopolitical conflicts. The voices of these survivors are essential in understanding the depths of the human cost in war, stressing the crucial narrative of those who often go unheard amid the chaos of global politics.
Ahmed, who was detained while attempting to reach Saudi Arabia, had been hoping for safety when he encountered the Yemeni authorities. Instead, he faced captivity in a rickety prison where he and over a hundred other migrants endured weeks of uncertainty, while the specter of airstrikes loomed nearby. On that fateful night, when the bombs struck, panic ensued, and helplessness transformed into chaos. “The place and everyone in it were mangled,” Ahmed described, recounting how he initially believed he was alone in his suffering, only to later learn that ten people nearby had been killed.
With injuries that included broken limbs and severe lacerations, Ahmed is left grappling with a haunting question: “I don’t know why America bombed us.” His perplexity echoes amongst other survivors who, like him, find themselves trapped between the oppressiveness of their circumstances and the indiscriminate violence of the airstrikes.
As the United Nations reports increasing numbers of migrants—over 60,000 arriving in Yemen from the Horn of Africa in 2024—this incident highlights the urgent need for dialogue and intervention concerning the treatment of vulnerable populations amidst geopolitical conflicts. The voices of these survivors are essential in understanding the depths of the human cost in war, stressing the crucial narrative of those who often go unheard amid the chaos of global politics.
