ADDIS ABABA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia repatriated about 28,000 undocumented nationals from Saudi Arabia in the past two months, the government has said.
The repatriated nationals were in difficult conditions, stranded across mainly prisons and detention centers in the Gulf nation, state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) quoted foreign ministry officials as saying late Thursday.
State Minister of Foreign Affairs Birtukan Ayano said the 28,000 nationals were repatriated as part of the government's ongoing efforts to repatriate about 100,000 undocumented nationals from Saudi Arabia in seven to 11 months.
The government has arranged nine weekly flights from Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, since March 30 as part of its renewed operation to bring back citizens from the Gulf nation, according to the foreign ministry.
Ethiopia has established nine centers in Addis Ababa to accommodate the large number of returnees.
According to the Ethiopian foreign ministry, more than 750,000 Ethiopians are living in Saudi Arabia, 450,000 of them without proper documents.
Estimates suggest that thousands of Ethiopians are trafficked to the Arabian Peninsula via Djibouti and war-torn Yemen every year, risking imprisonment and killings along the way.
In recent months, Ethiopia has stepped up efforts to take back its citizens stranded overseas, mainly Saudi Arabia, as part of the government's "citizen-centered diplomacy."
The government is also working to dismantle sophisticated human trafficking networks and create economic opportunities for nationals with low incomes. ■