Ethiopia set to repatriate some 70,000 nationals in ‘difficult situation’ from Saudi Arabia

Ethiopia has announced it is going to repatriate some 70,000 of its nationals who have been living in squalid conditions in Saudi Arabia, a third such program since 2018.
The announcement was made last week in Addis Ababa, with the repatriation set to begin in early April, targeting some 70,000 “Ethiopians who are in a difficult situation,” State Minister Birtukan Ayano Dadi stated, without specifying whether the returnees have been living in Saudi Arabia legally. Regional administrations in the Horn of Africa country are expected to ensure the returnees resettle in their native home areas. Although the Ethiopian government did not formally announce the actual cost of the program that would undoubtedly be very high, the minister said “necessary budget, logistics and shelters should be prepared for the returnees”. Repatriation expenses will reportedly include flight tickets, temporary holding at transition centers in Addis Ababa and some money to restart life.
While this move is aimed at rescuing stranded citizens, it poses a humanitarian challenge for a country already struggling with displacement of populations due to local conflicts and influxes from conflicts in neighboring nations. Ethiopia currently hosts about 917,000 refugees from neighboring countries such as Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Eritrea, on top of four million of its own people who have been displaced due to the nation’s own conflicts and environmental hardships, according to data from the Ethiopian Refugees and Returnees Service (RSS). In March 2022, Addis Ababa struck a similar deal with Saudi Arabia — long accused by rights groups of mistreating foreign workers — to repatriate over 100,000 of its nationals.