The governments of Saudi Arabia and the neighboring Puntland today deport over 1,000 undocumented Ethiopian immigrants.
About 600 undocumented Ethiopian migrants from Saudi Arabia and 415 return from Puntland today arrived at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport of Ethiopia. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) facilitated their safe repatriation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.
In addition to the 415 returnee Ethiopians from from Puntland, additional 517 Ethiopian nationals are also expected to arrive home soon. Reports show that deep-rooted poverty and economic problem are the major push factors of most of Ethiopian migrants travelling to the Middle East by risking their lives using illegal human traffickers.
These human traffickers often use to Puntland as a gateway to Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. Following the crisis in Yemen, IOM has been undertaking many humanitarian airlifts from Yemen allowing thousands of stranded Ethiopian migrants to return home.