The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday repatriated the first contingents of hundreds of Ethiopian migrants who have been in detention.
The repatriation is in line with “The Great Homecoming” which the Ethiopian government announced in December 2021 in the bid to have all its nationals scattered across the world living in poor conditions.
According to a statement by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the returnees who were mostly mothers with young children, landed at Addis Ababa International Airport throughout the day,
“It is estimated that about 750,000 Ethiopians currently reside in the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) with about 450,000 likely to have travelled to the country through irregular means and will need help to return home,” the IOM said in a statement.
The body said it is working closely with the Government of Ethiopia and its partners as the country continues to receive thousands of returnees from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“A coordinated multi-sectoral response is critical to ensure returnees receive essential services such as medical care, food, shelter, and psychosocial support as well as specialized protection services to alleviate their immediate needs, risks and vulnerabilities and enable their return home in safety and dignity”. The statement reads further.
Meanwhile, human rights organizations have repeatedly denounced the detention conditions of Ethiopian migrants in Saudi Arabia.
“We were crying daily,” said Jemila Shafi, 29, one of the returnees from Saudi Arabia. She said that they were given one loaf of bread and a pot of cooked rice to be shared between 300 people. “Even 400 people were living in one room and we couldn’t see the sun light,” she added.
According an October 2021 report, in October 2021, “Thousands of Ethiopian migrants in Saudi prisons are living in horrifying conditions, locked up in overcrowded and dirty cells, starving, mistreated and beaten, and in need of medical attention. Some of them are in mortal danger.”