Saudi Arabia establishes 119km of barriers along Yemeni border
[15/أكتوبر/2010]
RIYADH, Oct. 15 (Saba)- Saudi Arabia has established 119km of security barriers along Yemeni border to prevent smuggling and infiltration from Yemen, a senior Saudi military official said.
Deputy commander of the Saudi border guards on the Saudi-Yemeni border Abdul-Aziz al-Sabhi said the security barrier was erected in stages, with early results revealing that the rates of smuggling and infiltration have been significantly reduced.
The Saudi-Yemeni border, at around 1,500km in length, has been used as a gateway for smuggling and for people to illegally enter Saudi Arabia.
Construction of the border barrier began in 2003 but stopped in 2004 following complaints by Yemen, which said it violated an early border treaty.
The security barrier is a network of sandbags and pipelines 3m high and filled with concrete.
It is monitored by electronic surveillance equipment.
YA
Saba
