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AL-BAIDA, YEMEN- MAY 2007.Beaten to death, the bloody bodies of individuals killed at the hands of smugglers lie washed up on the white sands of Al-Baida Beach. Brought ashore by the tide hours after their deaths, the corpses of those murdered before they entered the water are easy to distinguish. Unlike the countless migrants and refugees who drown so close to the end of their dangerous voyage, there are no traces of foaming salt water around their mouths, only the sanguine marks left by rifle butts, sticks and hammers. Despite their renown for brutality, those desperate to escape Africa's Horn easily disregard the stories they have heard about the smuggling gangs, thinking only of the better life they hope to find on escaping the violence that has overshadowed their everyday lives.The beaches of southern Yemen have become graves for thousands of unidentified migrants and refugees. Until a shallow hole in the sand can be dug for these victims, crabs will move in to take their share as they spend the next few hours feasting on the soft tissues. (KEYSTONE/NOOR/Alixandra Fazzina)