Ethiopia repatriates 742 citizens from Middle Eastern countries

Some 742 Ethiopians have returned home from Middle Eastern countries in recent days, the Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Wednesday.

MoFA said 607 and 135 Ethiopian nationals were returned home from Saudi Arabia and Oman, respectively.

Dina Mufti, the spokesperson for MoFA, said on Tuesday the ministry is boosting efforts to repatriate Ethiopian nationals stranded in various foreign countries.

However, the ministry is encountering various challenges including problems with locating nationals who live abroad and COVID-19 related logistics issue, he noted.

In recent months, Ethiopia has stepped up efforts to return home its citizens stranded in various foreign countries.

This move is part of the government’s newly unveiled “citizen-focused diplomacy’’.