Allafrica.com: Ethiopia: Embassies Supporting Ethiopian Migrants

From: Berhane Habtemariam <Berhane.Habtemariam_at_gmx.de_at_dehai.org>
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2015 22:49:39 +0200
August 20, 2015

Ethiopian embassies in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia said they have been working to address the problems of Ethiopian migrants in the two countries closely following their safety.

Representatives of the embassies said that support and assistance is being provided for citizens who migrated to these countries.

Ethiopia's Consulate General to Lebanon, Ambassador Halima Mohammed, said that 20,000 Ethiopians on the average enter Lebanon annually through different routes.

Of these, up to 5,000 are assisted to return to their country of origin due to health and other problems.

According to her, there are about 100,000 registered Ethiopians and over 50,000 additional unregistered citizens that live in the country.

The ambassador indicated that the embassy has been working hard to address problems the migrants face in collaboration with religious institutions, individuals and governmental bodies.

Ethiopian citizens whose passports and travel documents have been seized by their employees for various reasons are being provided with travel documents so that they could return home, Ambassador Halima said.

Liaison Officer with Ethiopia's Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Temesgen Omar said on his part it is impossible t to follow the cases of citizens due to the vastness of the country and the large Ethiopian community in the Kingdom.

Yet, the embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah, are doing their level best to monitor and support citizens, according to Temsegen.

Though there are an estimated 500,000 Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia, those registered with the embassy are not more than 300, 000, he added.

He said the embassy is working with the police and other governmental institutions, and offering free legal services and interpreters for citizens taken to Saudi courts.

Received on Thu Aug 20 2015 - 16:49:39 EDT

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