BY YESUF ENDRIS
ARBA MIINCH- The National Committee established to work on the cases of Ethiopian migrants has made all the preparation to repatriate and rehabilitate over 102,000 undocumented citizens that are in a difficult situation in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.
At a weekly press briefing he held yesterday , MoFA Spokesperson Dina Mufti indicated preparation is underway not only to repatriate Ethiopian citizens, but also to rehabilitate them. The repatriation efforts would include more than 102 ,000 Ethiopians that are in various Saudi Arabian prisons and detention centers.
The spokesperson further noted that the deliberations and plans of the committee that comprises 16 stakeholders from various government institutions discussed tomorrow in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen. The Deputy Premier chairs the National Committee established to combat illegal human trafficking.
Considering the gravity of the issue, call was made to stakeholders to contribute their level best to alleviate the problems that Ethiopians are facing in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Dina said the Ethiopian embassy in Kenya helped to repatriate 139 citizens that were detained for illegally crossing the border making their destination to South Africa. “The Ethiopian government is partnering with relevant institutions in different countries to rescue citizens who are in difficult situations.”
About Ethiopians that are restrained in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, the veteran diplomat highlighted that Ethiopian diplomatic missions in various European countries have made steady efforts to reach citizens and help them to leave Ukraine. “Racism is totally the unjustifiable act tough we have no detail information about the mistreatment of African immigrants in Ukraine. Our diplomatic missions in Germany, Italy and in other European states have been hugely engaged to rescue our nationals and they are in a close contact with the latter.”
The Ethiopian Herald March 5/2022
