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Saudi Arabia expels 100,000 Ethiopians

Saudis crack down violently on migrant workers: rights group warns of disaster
Saudi Arabia expels 100,000 Ethiopians

Picture: Al Jazeera

Published: December 06, 2013 07:58 AM GMT
Updated: December 05, 2013 08:11 PM GMT

Ethiopia has repatriated more than 100,000 citizens from Saudi Arabia following a violent crackdown on migrant workers, Addis Ababa's foreign ministry has said.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said on Thursday that up to 50,000 more citizens were still expected to return.

"Last night arrivals from Saudi reached 100,620," Tedros said in a written statement.

"All citizens that were detained in Riyadh deportation camps are back."

Ethiopia started repatriating its citizens from Saudi Arabia last month after a seven-month amnesty period for undocumented immigrants expired, sparking violent protests between Ethiopian migrants and Saudi police.

Foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said repatriation efforts had been "successful so far".

"The number is increasing over time," Mufti said.

The Ethiopian government said three of its citizens were killed in the clashes with Saudi police.

The government said protesters did not have a permit to demonstrate and confirmed that arrests had been made, but did not say how many.

Human Rights Watch has urged Saudi authorities to launch a probe into the violence, and warned of a potential humanitarian disaster for workers held in custody.

 

Migrants from other nations are also returning home from Saudi Arabia.

Last week, official media in Sudan said more than 11,000 workers had returned voluntarily after the amnesty ended.

 

Full Story: Saudis expel 100,000 Ethiopians 

Source:Al Jazeera

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