ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 31– The Ethiopian government announced Monday that it has repatriated nearly 100,000 nationals facing dire conditions abroad over the past 12 months under an ongoing government-led initiative.
The Ministry of Women and Social Affairs said in a statement that more than 98,900 Ethiopians were safely returned home during the latest round of a coordinated repatriation initiative, which began on Sept. 15 last year.
As part of these efforts, some 2,463 undocumented citizens were repatriated last week alone from Saudi Arabia, where they were said to be “stranded in difficult conditions,” according to the ministry.
The Ethiopian government and humanitarian partners are currently implementing coordinated initiatives to provide returning citizens with appropriate support and care at temporary facilities, as well as rehabilitate and reunite them with their families, it was noted.
Despite government-led public awareness campaigns regarding the dangers of human trafficking, estimates indicate that thousands of Ethiopians are trafficked annually to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, where they work primarily in the informal economy.
In addition to the risk of imprisonment and other hardships, Ethiopian migrants often face life-threatening dangers as they attempt to navigate the perilous Red Sea route in hopes of reaching the Gulf countries through war-torn Yemen. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
