DUBAI: Men, women and children fleeing the Horn of Africa have faced torture and sexual violence in conflict-wracked Yemen at the hands of government officials, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.

The watchdog said researchers interviewed eight migrants at a detention facility in the southern city of Aden and Yemeni government officials.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) published a parallel report yesterday corroborating the findings and calling for "unhindered access" to detainees.

Last year, more than 87,000 people arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa, according to UNHCR. Human Rights Watch said migrants who end up in Aden's Buraika detention facility-in use since early 2017 - have faced beatings with steel bars, sexual violence and dire sanitary conditions. Detainees, notably boys, were raped by guards, according to the report. - AFP