Ethiopia Continues to Repatriate Citizens from Saudi Arabia
ADDIS ABABA – More than 1,170 Ethiopian migrants who were stranded in Saudi Arabia have been repatriated on Friday.
The Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MoWSA) said the migrants were brought back to their homeland in three rounds of flights.
Five women and 33 children including minors under the age of 18 are among today’s arrivals.
The repatriates are now receiving care and support at the shelter center in Addis Ababa. They will soon be reintegrated with their families, said MoWSA.
The ongoing repatriation push was launched on March 30, 2022, with a target to repatriate at least 102,000 citizens within eleven months. To date, over 107, 000 Ethiopians have returned back to their country.
Despite achieving its initial target, the operation is still ongoing.
Before the launch of the operation, the number of Ethiopians residing in the Gulf nation was estimated to be around 750,000.
Many are also risking their lives on the dangerous journey via the Red Sea in search of better jobs in rich Gulf nations in the hands of the smuggling networks.
Today, 141 Ethiopian migrants on a crowded human trafficking boat were saved from capsizing in Djibouti’s coastal region of Godoria.
The Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti said two suspected individuals linked have been apprehended on human trafficking charges.
