“They Fired On Us Like Rain”: Saudis Accused of Killing Hundreds of Ethiopian Refugees at Border

We speak to the author of a new Human Rights Watch report that details how border guards in Saudi Arabia have killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers — many of whom are fleeing human rights abuses in Ethiopia’s Tigray region — trying to cross the Yemen-Saudi border since March 2022. The report documents Saudi border guards shooting women and children, firing explosive weapons at migrants and “executing” people at close range. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that it will conduct a joint investigation with the Saudi government, but Saudi Arabia has previously denied similar allegations. “I don’t have any faith that they would conduct an independent investigation on these mass killings,” says Nadia Hardman, a researcher at Human Rights Watch and the author of the report, titled “’They Fired on Us Like Rain.’” Transcript: Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET. Support independent media: Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: