'We drink from the toilet': Somali refugees tell of their time as undocumented migrant workers in Saudi Arabia

[Samira]

'We drink from the toilet': migrants tell of hellish Saudi detention centres

Kingdom urged to rethink mass deportation policy as crowded and insanitary conditions spark Covid-19 fears

www.theguardian.com

Ibraahin’s* first week of work at a market in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was also his last. As the sun set on the fifth day, the police descended upon the crowds and rounded up the 40-year-old Somali, along with several other undocumented migrant workers. They were transported to the nearby al-Shumaisi detention centre where many, including Ibraahin, remain months later, awaiting deportation.

Saudi authorities regularly arrest those found to be working illegally in the kingdom without a visa. Many are held in al-Shumaisi, a huge complex designed to hold 32,000 inmates. It has four grey-walled wings for male inmates, two for females and one for children. Detainees are held in a crowded series of bunk bed-filled halls, which each hold around 80 people.

Smartphones are confiscated from the migrant workers when they arrive, preventing them from documenting their living conditions, several inmates interviewed have said.

“We are packed as animals. We sleep on metal beds with no mattress, no proper sanitation,” Ibraahin told the Guardian through a translator. “We drink water from the toilet. If you have money you can buy clean water. If don’t have any, you just take dirty water from the toilet.”

The coronavirus pandemic has brought fresh anguish. Detainees are fearful of catching Covid-19 because of the cramped and insanitary living conditions. Ibraahin says some people in his room are sick, but there is no way to tell if they have the virus as they don’t have access to healthcare.

“There are sick people, fever, vomiting and coughing, and nobody taking care of them,” adds his cellmate, Tahiil *, 30. “It is possible they have Covid-19. The hospital here is closed.”

In April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Gulf countries to provide alternatives to detention for deportees during the Covid-19 pandemic, due to the high risk of infection in crowded institutions.

In Saudi Arabia, detainees often don’t know how long they will be kept at the centres, or what charges have been levelled against them.

“[Despite] the terrible overcrowding, insanitary conditions, lack of adequate healthcare and physical abuse in Saudi Arabia’s immigration detention centres, Saudi Arabia has done little to improve them or take steps to treat detainees with dignity,” says Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at HRW.

“In a time of increased dangers from Covid-19, Saudi Arabia should move beyond small-scale detainee releases and take real steps to overhaul these detention centres and rethink its mass deportation policy.”

Tahiil, also from Somalia, was arrested for being undocumented while working as a camel shepherd. His wages were confiscated and he does not know if he will get the money back.

He says inmates do not receive enough food. “We are given bread and very little rice. Dry rice and no protein. The food they provide is of bad quality. There are no lemons, no vegetables.”

Ibraahin and Tahiil said that when they were arrested the police asked for bribes and said they would be released if they paid.

“If you have money and give the bribe, nobody will take you to jail,” says Ibraahin.

The two men say they travelled to Saudi Arabia to flee al-Shabaab bombings and other terrorist attacks in Somalia, and enjoy a better life.

According to the UN, more than 138,000 east African migrants take the hazardous journey across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen every year, making it the busiest maritime migration path on earth.

Those who survive the crossing travel north, in the hope of reaching oil-rich Saudi Arabia to find manual work. However, most are unaware of the danger they face. Yemen is in the midst of war, and the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) warns that migrant workers face kidnapping, torture for ransom, exploitation and trafficking.

Once working in the Kingdom, those without visas have to constantly look over their shoulders to avoid arrest.

Fawzia*, 51, lived in Jeddah illegally from 1990 to 2018, when she was deported back to Somalia. During her time there she worked as a family housemaid. She also gave birth to five children, at home, with no access to healthcare. Her children were undocumented and grew up hiding at home, unable to go to school.

“We were lucky to have stayed that long without being caught. We used to hide every time the authorities came to the neighbourhood looking for illegal migrants,” says Fawzia, over WhatsApp. “One night, we ran from our home due to fear.”

Two years ago, when the Saudi government began to crack down on illegal migrants, Fawzia decided to turn herself and her family in for deportation, for fear of being branded a criminal.

To avoid spending a long period of time in detention, Fawzia paid a bribe. They were deported to Mogadishu a week later.

“You have to pay a bribe if you want to go back to Somalia in peace. I was told not to tell anyone about it,” she says. “The police asked for $500 and we reached a deal of $125, to facilitate a safe and easy deportation.”

The Saudi Arabian government’s Centre for International Communication (CIC) did not respond to a request from the Guardian for comment.

* Names changed to protect identities

 

[MadMullah99]

Yeah I am not reading that as I don’t see anyone that drinks from a toilet as Somali.

No matter how bad things get in Somalia, nobody is forced to drink from the toilet. The Somali nomads would be shocked to find about this.

They have chosen to be Arab slaves so that is not my problem.

 

[Basra]

Samira & Mama Maylun are best friends

 

[x z]

Yeah I am not reading that as I don’t see anyone that drinks from a toilet as Somali.

No matter how bad things get in Somalia, nobody is forced to drink from the toilet. The Somali nomads would be shocked to find about this.

They have chosen to be Arab slaves so that is not my problem.

Dude what is your issue? Is EVERY single issue in the Somali commnity gonna be dismissed as 'I don't care, they're not Somali anymore'. They gay? - Not Somali. They Athiest - Not Somali. They poor - Not Somali (ironic, seeing as how we live back home, sewage and sanitation is non existent and not commonplace). That is possibly the most childish response bettering nothing and no-one. Easy for you to sit in your priveleged home and look down on those suffering subhanallah.

 

[MadMullah99]

Dude what is your issue? Is EVERY single issue in the Somali commnity gonna be dismissed as 'I don't care, they're not Somali anymore'. They gay? - Not Somali. They Athiest - Not Somali. They poor - Not Somali (ironic, seeing as how we live back home, sewage and sanitation is non existent and not commonplace). That is possibly the most childish response bettering nothing and no-one. Easy for you to sit in your priveleged home and look down on those suffering subhanallah.

Lower your tone when you are talking to me. You don’t know me or know what I have been through to assume that I am “Privileged” This is not a issue of the Somali community. We are not low like this and whomever puts himself in that situation deserves it. Countless times they have been told to not leave the motherland unsafely but they want gold and diamonds so f*** them.


dont give me that crap of Somalia is poor and trash. I know many Somalis by name who have abundant wealth who have never stepped out of the border.

The Saudis are evil scum yet a lot of them think they are angles.

 

[babooshke]

The Al-Ayrabs on this site are in shambles upon reading this.

 

[Guardafui]

Somali men walahi you have failed the Somali nation. Why is it so hard for our people to find a common ground and fix the country? Do you think a Somali citizen would suffer like this if Somalia was stable? Am sick of this qabilism that never ends its so disgusting that we’re the only nation on earth with dozens of “presidents” and yet so useless none of them can do anything the utter madness of our people. I sometimes fear that we may not see a normal Somalia for the next 30 years to come. I wish we believed in forgiveness and put our stupid pride aside and let Somalis all around the world go home for good.

 

[Grey Alien]

What a sad reality it is. We should stop judging what is good and bad when it comes to community. Shall we be friend with all of arabs people because of islam? no, there are arabs that are either Christian, atheist and low life cracks. Just because majorty of arab families are muslim does not mean that they all treats migrant workers or "slaves" well. some arabs are good to workers and some arabs are bad to workers. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad PBUH will be opponent of whoever treat a non muslim horribly based on biased religion values and superior-inferior complex on Judgment Day and how terrifying it is to have Prophet Muhammad as an opponent on Last Day because in duyna, obeying Allah and his messenger and always act righteously is a path to Jannah, according to Lord Allah and should people act unrighteous, they are screwed up becuase we know damn well that Allah will be opponent as well, according in how to treat workers(wages) and slaves.

 

[Dooyo]

I don’t get how one can live in a country for almost 30 years in constant fear of deportation or worse. Fowsia thought it was a good idea to pop out FIVE kids in country she had no shaarci in. While she slaved for an Arab family, her kids weren’t even able to go to school, hiding from the police.

How miserable it must be.

 

[TekNiKo]

Stop judging those destitute people, the few riyaals they get maybe feeding their family back in Somalia so dont be a sour sort.

 

[butANumba]

I don’t get how one can live in a country for almost 30 years in constant fear of deportation or worse. Fowsia thought it was a good idea to pop out FIVE kids in country she had no shaarci in. While she slaved for an Arab family, her kids weren’t even able to go to school, hiding from the police.

How miserable it must be.

Don't blame Fowsia. Somali men back home don't use condoms at all the women know every year they have multiple sex they'll have a child

 

[repo]

Yeah I am not reading that as I don’t see anyone that drinks from a toilet as Somali.

No matter how bad things get in Somalia, nobody is forced to drink from the toilet. The Somali nomads would be shocked to find about this.

They have chosen to be Arab slaves so that is not my problem.

They are starving have you ever been pushed to starvation?

 

[Bashi]

People hear of this everyday, yet they continue to illegaly immigrate. And we can't blame them cause they have no choice. They are clinging to any hope of a bettet life. Only way we caj overcome this is for the country to prosper. Also, the somalo government should.make it clear to quickly send any illegal immigrants back hime quickly.

 

[MadMullah99]

They are starving have you ever been pushed to starvation?

100%.

 

[Finesse]

I'm not trying to be insensitive but Somalis can find a better standard of living in Somalia, at least move to another region instead of being treated like a slave by Arabs.

It's part of our religious duty as Muslims to have dignity and thus, are we really allowed to migrate to countries that will not give you citizenship or basic human rights?

I doubt it!

Either try to migrate to a Western country or stay HOME.

Seriously, I have even heard of D&M people begging in Arab countries the same way they beg in Somalia. Somalis were never known to beg or demean themself for anyone except Allah SWT.

 

[Finesse]

As for the tahriibis escaping to Libya to get a chance at Europe.

These Tahriibi people sink their families into debt, especially the ones that travel through Libya, they force their families to pay around 30,000 dollars. Please tell me which diaspora family can afford to pay that ransom?

They're not as poor as they want you to think, I am convinced most of them just want the Western lifestyle.

Only Middle-Class Somalis can afford the Libya route.

 

[Soma]

The age of tahrib is over. Time to stay home and fix Somalia.

 

[Ayubi]

I don’t get how one can live in a country for almost 30 years in constant fear of deportation or worse.

How miserable it must be.

That’s how my family in Jeddah live. Luckily though, they are able to pay their Iqama’s now that their making good money but they were struggling before. My dad offered them to come to the West but they’re stubborn and prefer Saudi.

I'm not trying to be insensitive but Somalis can find a better standard of living in Somalia, at least move to another region instead of being treated like a slave by Arabs.

It's part of our religious duty as Muslims to have dignity and thus, are we really allowed to migrate to countries that will not give you citizenship or basic human rights?

I doubt it!

Either try to migrate to a Western country or stay HOME.

Seriously, I have even heard of D&M people begging in Arab countries the same way they beg in Somalia. Somalis were never known to beg or demean themself for anyone except Allah SWT.

Sadly since the civil way happened, Somalis self esteem has decreased and they don’t value themselves anymore. That’s why there’s many of them living off of welfare in the West instead of actually getting a job and making a living. Now though, more elder Somalis are applying for jobs and working.

 

[Awdalia Rising]

The arab bootyshakers on this website will probably try to convince themselves that it was Zamzam water in the toilet

 

[Octavian]

this is sad as hell but until the gov gets its act together this will sadly continue