Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Yemen Rebels Admit Tear Gas Touched Off Fire at Migrant Detention Facility

Associated Press

   SANAA, YEMEN - Yemen's Houthi rebels broke their silence Saturday about
   the cause of a fire that tore through a detention center earlier this
   month, killing at least 45 people, mostly Ethiopian migrants.

   The rebels acknowledged that guards had fired three tear gas canisters
   into a crowded hangar in the capital, Sanaa, trying to end a protest by
   the migrants.

   A statement from the rebels said at least 11 men from the security
   forces had been detained over the incident, along with a number of
   senior officials who would face trial before a court.

   The migrant community in Sanaa has called for an international probe
   into the tragedy, a demand that international rights groups backed.

   About 900 migrants were being held at the facility, including more than
   350 inside the hangar. The Passports and Naturalization Authority ran
   the site.

   At least 45 people were killed in the March 7 fire, the rebels said,
   including one who died of his wounds Friday. More than 200 others were
   wounded.

   The migrants had been protesting and went on a hunger strike against
   alleged abuses and ill treatment at the detention facility, according
   to survivors and local rights advocates.

   On Saturday, the rebels claimed that the migrants were protesting to
   pressure the International Organization for Migration to transfer them.

   Despite its six-year-old civil war, Yemen remains a transit point for
   tens of thousands of African migrants desperate to find jobs as
   housekeepers, servants and construction workers in Saudi Arabia.