ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Friday disclosed the repatriation of some 553 Ethiopian nationals, including prisoners and illegal migrants, from Saudi Arabia.
Among the 553 Ethiopian nationals repatriated from the Middle Eastern country were 280 prisoners, who were serving prison sentences ranging from 5 to 30 years in Saudi Arabia for various wrongdoings, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the ministry, the repatriation of 553 Ethiopian nationals from Saudi Arabia was made on Thursday in accordance with a recent agreement between the Ethiopian Consul in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi Arabian government to pardon the prisoners.
The remaining 273 repatriated Ethiopians, including 75 women, were residing illegally in Saudi Arabia, the ministry said.
Despite a growing economy and public awareness campaigns on the dangers of human trafficking by the Ethiopian government, it is estimated that thousands of Ethiopians are trafficked to Saudi Arabia as well as various other countries, where they are mainly engaged in the informal economy.
In addition to imprisonment and various other hurdles, desperate Ethiopian and other East African migrants also often encounter many deadly calamities as they attempt to cross the dangerous Red Sea route hoping to reach the Middle East via war-torn Yemen. They are mainly aiming at reaching Yemen's northern neighbor Saudi Arabia.
