50,000 illegal Ethiopian workers in Saudi Arabia sent home
Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in Africa has a high rate of unemployment with 27 percent of women and 13 percent of men without a job
Ethiopia has flown home over 50,000 citizens in Saudi Arabia after a crackdown against illegal immigrants in the oil-rich state, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.
“We projected the initial number to be 10,000 but it is increasing,” foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti told AFP, adding that the final total once the mass airlift ends is now expected to be around 80,000.
Ethiopia started repatriating citizens living illegally in Saudi Arabia after a seven-month amnesty period to formalize their status expired on November 4, sparking violent protests between Saudi police and Ethiopian migrants preparing to leave the country.
The Ethiopian government said three of its citizens were killed in clashes.
Dina said the government is spending $2.6 million (1.9 million euros) on the repatriation program to bring citizens home, the majority women.
Ethiopia has said relations with Saudi Arabia remain “sisterly”, with Dina saying the government's main priority was to bring citizens home.
“We are focusing on the repatriation... we have not evaluated that one, we have not assessed that,” he said, referring to Ethio-Saudi ties.
Large numbers of Ethiopians -- often women seeking domestic work -- travel to the Middle East each year looking for jobs.
Around 200,000 women sought work abroad in 2012, according to Ethiopia's ministry of labor and social affairs.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said many face physical and mental abuse, low pay, discrimination and poor working conditions.
Reports of mistreatment of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia has sparked outrage in Ethiopia.
In an emotional speech this month, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said the government was in “around the clock crisis management” mode trying to bring citizens back.
With 91 million citizens, Ethiopia is Africa's most populous country after Nigeria, but also one of the continent’s poorest, with the majority of people earning less than two dollars a day.
Around 27 percent of women and 13 percent of men are unemployed, according to the ILO.
Also Read
-
For most illegal workers in Saudi Arabia, it’s a one-way trip back home
The border strip between Saudi Arabia and Yemen in Jazan region has witnessed a continuous flow of illegal workers following the end of the grace ... Features -
Saudi Arabia illegal worker crackdown leaves ‘shops closed, streets empty’
Residents and citizens woke up in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to a day crippled by a lack of necessary services as illegal expat workers, who failed to ... Middle East -
Thousands arrested as Saudi Arabia’s grace period for illegal workers ends
Inspection squads from the ministries of labor and interior started on Monday massive raids across Saudi Arabia to catch labor and residency law ... Middle East -
Raids begin as Saudi Arabia’s amnesty period for illegal workers ends
Saudi Arabia’s seven-month grace period to correct the labor and residency status of foreigners ended on Sunday and an all-out security ... Middle East
