Ethiopia to repatriate 70,000 citizens from Saudi Arabia

Ethiopia is reportedly planning to bring back home 70,000 members of its diaspora in Saudi Arabia, claiming that they live in squalid conditions, the East African Publication, a Kenyan news portal, reported.

Ethiopia will start repatriation in April as a commitment to the grievances of its citizens abroad, the publication said.

State Minister Birtukan Ayano said the repatriation, the third such program since 2018, will target “Ethiopians who are in a difficult situation.”

“Necessary budget, logistics, and shelters should be prepared for the returnees,” he added.

Ethiopia is currently home to 917,000 refugees fleeing conflicts in neighboring countries, such as Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen, and Eritrea, according to the Ethiopian Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS).

The conflict in Tigray forced 4 million people to be internally displaced and have yet to return partly due to destroyed infrastructure.