Ethiopia Repatriates 1, 086 Citizens from Saudi Arabia

ADDIS ABABA – A total of 1,086 Ethiopians have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to the ministry of foreign affairs.

Three flights have arrived at Addis Ababa bole airport from the city of Riyadh of the Gulf nation today as the repatriation push continues for the third week.

The flights have brought a total of 1, 086 Ethiopians back to their country, said the spokesperson office of the Ministry.

Today’s returnees include 330 women and 80 children.

Ethiopia started bringing its nationals from the gulf nation on March 30, with a plan to repatriate more than 102, 000 of its citizens living in dire situations in Saudi Arabia.

To date, more than 8, 500 Ethiopians have been airlifted from the gulf nation.

The repatriation will continue for at least seven months, said authorities who scheduled three daily fights for each week.

Reports say 750,000 Ethiopian nationals currently reside in Saudi Arabia with about 450,000 of them may not have legal documents.