Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn has expressed concern over the reluctance of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia, without resident and work permits, returning home as the 90-day amnesty granted by the kingdom draws closer.Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn has expressed concern over the reluctance of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia, without resident and work permits, returning home as the 90-day amnesty granted by the kingdom draws closer.
“Even as the 90 days deadline the Saudi government has given to all foreign nationals illegally residing in the country is drawing closer, very few Ethiopians have returned home as compared to the expected number” the state owned Ethiopian News Agency reported on Saturday quoting Dessalegn.
Well over 200,000 Ethiopians are estimated to live in Saudi Arabia without legal documents, of whom only 23,000 have returned since March 29, 2017
The premier expressed fear that the situation could be worse than the previous crackdown in 2013, when 100,000 Ethiopians were forcibly deported by the Saudi government.
The amnesty period for illegal foreign nationals to leave the kingdom without paying fines or facing legal measures started on March 29, 2017. Read more here