RIYADH: Arab Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al-Maliki announced on Sunday that Houthi claims suggesting that Saudi Arabia deported 800 Somali migrants to Yemen are false.

The Houthis claimed that 800 Somali migrants were deported to Yemen from the Kingdom through the governorate of Al-Jouf.

Al-Maliki said the claims are an extension of what he described as the “inhumane actions and behavior of the militia against African migrants to Yemen.”

He noted that in April, the Iranian-backed militia had forcefully displaced 8,000 African migrants in Yemen and made them leave the country via the border with Saudi Arabia.

The spokesman described this as an attempt to confuse border security and provoke non-governmental organizations, whilst taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic that is causing global chaos. 

Saudi Arabia took care of the migrants and provided for all of their needs, Al-Maliki added.