Addis Ababa: At least 3,410 Ethiopian nationals were repatriated from Saudi Arabia during the past week, an official said here. Speaking to journalists, Dina Mufti, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), said the government is undertaking coordinated efforts to repatriate nationals from Saudi Arabia, reports Xinhua news agency. According to figures from the MoFA, there are an estimated 750,000 Ethiopians living in Saudi Arabia currently, out of which 450,000 have reportedly entered the country illegally. Mufti said the process to repatriate undocumented Ethiopian migrants from Saudi Arabia will be further stepped up in the coming weeks. It is estimated that thousands of Ethiopians are trafficked to Saudi Arabia as well as various other countries annually, where they are mainly engaged in the informal economy.

Source: Ethiopian News April 30, 2022 14:23 UTC