Over 1, 000 Ethiopians Return Home from Saudi Arabia
ADDIS ABABA – More than 1, 000 Ethiopians have returned from Saudi Arabia on Monday as Ethiopia continues its repatriation effort this week.
Authorities started airlifting Ethiopians that are living under difficult situations in Saudi Arabia on March 30, 2022.
On Monday, 1, 072 Ethiopians have been airlifted from two Saudi Arabian cities, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
The first flight came from Riyadh City with 348 Ethiopians onboard while the second plane aboard 354 people landed in Addis Ababa from City of Jeddah a couple hours later.
The third flight from Jeddah also brought 370 nationals, including 342 women and children, back home in the afternoon, said the spokesperson office of MoFA.
All the returnees who came in the first two flights were men, according to the office.
A national committee of 16 government agencies is leading the ongoing repatriation effort which aims to bring 102, 000 Ethiopians held in Saudi Arabia’s detention centers back to their country.
To date, more than 10, 770 citizens have been airlifted from Saudi Arabia. The repatriation push will continue for the next six to 10 months with already scheduled three daily fights for each week.
Meanwhile, at least 100 Ethiopians without travel documents were flown home from Kuwait in the past three weeks, according to MoFA.
