Discord drives Somalis to Yemen in record numbers

(CNN) -- Intensifying violence, food shortages and widespread drought are driving an increasing number of Somalis to seek asylum in Yemen, the United Nations' refugee agency said Tuesday.

More than 15,000 refugees have arrived in the Yemeni port city of Aden since January, compared with 7,166 people in the first four months of 2007, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Many of those seeking asylum brave treacherous boat trips across the Gulf of Aden. Consequently, the number of boats landing in Aden has jumped from 60 to 361 since January while the number of fatalities has remained constant, according to UNHCR.

The agency attributed the surge to strife in Somalia, where riots continued in the capital city of Mogadishu for the second day Tuesday. According to news reports, Somali soldiers killed at least two people Monday during the protests over rising food prices. Watch protesters take to the streets »

Somali refugees pay as much as $150 to cross the Gulf of Aden in search of asylum. Because of its proximity to the war-torn country, Yemen is a common destination for Somalis fleeing economic hardship, famine and war.

Yemen is also an attractive location because Somalis receive automatic refugee status in the fellow Muslim country. New smuggling routes across the Red Sea have also led to increased numbers of refugees in Yemen, according to the UNHCR.

Refugees often die before reaching Yemen because of dangerous sea conditions and overcrowded vessels. Others die at the hands of their smugglers, who order the passengers to jump overboard when the Yemeni coast guard approaches the vessel.

Yemen's coast guard stepped up patrols of its coastline this year in an attempt to deter smugglers, according to the UNHCR, which operates shelters and reception centers for refugees in Yemen. The coast guard has also seized boats and given them Somali fishermen affected by the 2004 tsunami.

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