SANAA, 26 October (IRIN) - The flow of desperate people
crossing the Gulf of Aden by boat from Somalia to Yemen is continuing despite a recent crackdown against human smuggling in some parts of north-eastern Somalia's Puntland region, according to a recent
report by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).This perilous journey in the cramped conditions of smugglers' boats claims hundreds of lives every year. Passengers on board are reported to be
beaten and sometimes thrown into the sea by smugglers. More than 5,700 people have arrived in 56 boats from Somalia since the start of improved sailing weather in early September, the UNHCR report
says. Of these, 64 have died and 62 people are still missing, according to Yemeni authorities and passengers.IRIN spoke to three Somali refugees who arrived in Yemen by boat in the past two weeks. Ismael Mahmud Abdille, 37 "Smugglers put us on the boat as if we were cattle or sheep for 48 hours non-stop until we arrived on Yemeni shores. The owners of the boat forced us to remain still,
without making any movement, for fear the boat would capsize. They beat us whenever we tried to move our bodies. They beat us several times for that reason. What was worst for me was that I was unable
to urinate. That was the hardest torture. "When I was on board, I thought I wouldn't arrive peacefully. Now, I feel I live in a situation worse than before. I know no one here. I can't understand
the Arabic language. I have nothing to do. I need to go back." Mohammed Abdalle Gidow, 33 "There were 125 people in the boat including me. It was very cramped. I can't speak of all the problems
as they were very dismal. We had nothing to eat or drink. They [the owners of the boat] beat us harshly. They threw two young men into the sea after beating them. They threw them as they knew they
were dying. At that moment I thought I wouldn't live any longer. I thought I would follow those two men. They also beat me as I tried to care for my two children. "Now I am in Yemen, but I found no
difference [to my situation in Somalia], save one. And that one is peace, which we were looking for. In fact, I prefer to live in my country as I don't have any job here. I need to feed my children,
rent a house, but I can't here." Aiban Mohammed Abdulle, 5 "I was scared on the boat. Some men were grabbing me and making me sit down. They beat me, asking me not to move. They were hitting
other people around me, including my father. I was crying. I was very hungry and thirsty. They gave us nothing. I was very afraid at that time. I still feel afraid. I am afraid of the sea."maj/ed
