AL-MUKALLA: A Yemeni Ph.D. holder who had just completed a degree at a university in Morocco has been found dead off the coast of Spain after the boat he was traveling in to reach Europe capsized.
Dhef Allah Al-Thaifani reportedly drowned when the vessel transporting illegal immigrants from Morocco overturned in waters adjacent to the Spanish city of Ceuta.
The incident has prompted fresh demands for an end to the conflict in Yemen and warnings to Yemenis not to attempt the dangerous crossing to Europe.
According to Yemen news site Al-Masdar Online, Yemeni citizen Al-Thaifani had gained a doctorate in modern Islamic thinking from Mohammed V University in Rabat.
He lost his position at Yemen’s Ministry of Endowment after being replaced by a relative of a top ministry official who reportedly petitioned the government to reinstate him and restore his wages.
His wife died from a cancer-related illness in 2019.
Ali Al-Fakih, editor of Al-Masdar Online, told Arab News: “As the war drags on, many elites unable to return to the country have started looking for secure living conditions in Europe.”
The war in Yemen began in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized power and expanded throughout the country. Thousands of Yemenis were driven from their homes and many eventually found refuge in government-controlled areas in neighboring countries, or further afield.
In November, three young Yemenis were discovered dead off the coast of the Greek island of Samos after their boat capsized in high winds. They were among 12 illegal immigrants who had left the Turkish province of Izmir by boat for Europe.
The flow of illegal Yemeni immigrants attempting to enter Europe through Poland via Belarus has prompted the Yemeni Embassy in Warsaw to advise its citizens not to enter Poland owing to strict security measures and several deaths.
In a tweet, officials said: “The embassy in Warsaw reminds all our citizens not to be enticed by smuggling groups or seek illegal entrance into Polish territory.”
According to media reports, Yemen-based smuggling groups as well as others in countries such as Egypt, have been involved in transporting Yemenis illegally to transit points in nations such as Turkey or Belarus, and then telling them to cross the border into EU territories.
Last year, many Yemenis froze to death on the border between Belarus and Poland, while the Yemeni Embassy in Poland evacuated many more.
Al-Fakih said: “The influx of Yemenis to Europe has grown, although their numbers are relatively small compared to those of immigrants from other war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Palestine.”
