1,085 Ethiopians repatriated from Saudi jails – Foreign Ministry

The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Monday 1,085 Ethiopians imprisoned in Saudi Arabia have been repatriated over the last three days.

According to a statement by Office of the Spokesperson of MoFA, the government is working with the International Organization for Migration to rehabilitate the returnees and assist in their return to their home areas.”

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had paid a two-day official state visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday and Friday, during which he held discussion with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Price Mohammed bin Salman on ways to boost Ethio-Saudi ties and the fate of Ethiopians detained in Saudi jails.

It is estimated every year thousands of Ethiopians travel across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia looking for better economic opportunities, often employed in the informal sector without having valid residency permits.