Ethiopian migrants speak to FRANCE 24 after surviving Yemeni-Saudi border shooting

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00:00 Last year, Mustafa tried to enter Saudi Arabia illegally in search of work.

00:07 Just as he was about to cross the border, he was shot at and lost a leg.

00:13 When I saw the Saudi soldiers who shot me, I asked them why they did it.

00:17 They replied, "Why are you coming here?

00:19 What are you doing here?"

00:20 I asked them to take me to hospital and told them I was injured, but they just replied,

00:24 "We don't care.

00:25 If you die, it's not our problem."

00:28 The International Organization for Migration took care of Mustafa.

00:32 They treated him in hospital, where he met Wazara, who was also injured at the border.

00:37 They later got married.

00:39 They put the metal structure there.

00:46 It's a lot better now, but when I got home, the bone wasn't healed.

00:51 My family had to bring me back to the hospital, where they inserted surgical pins.

01:00 They're among 10 migrants to have returned to Burkina Faso injured.

01:04 To help them find work, IOM has put in place a reintegration program.

01:09 After the training and the business plan development, it's basically us providing in-kind assistance

01:17 based on what kind of livelihood a migrant wants to take up.

01:20 Say somebody wants to start a small cafe, we will cover the rent for the first couple

01:25 of months of their business.

01:27 However, only 200 of the 50,000 Ethiopians who returned from Saudi Arabia last year were

01:34 able to benefit from this program.

01:36 Activists say encouraging employment could help prevent people from making the dangerous

01:42 trip.

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