Some 23 000 Ethiopians have handed themselves in since Saudi
authorities clamped down on illegal foreign workers 10 days ago, Addis Ababa's
country's ambassador in Riyadh said in remarks published on Wednesday.
The crackdown was marred by clashes
between police and Ethiopian migrants on Saturday that led to the deaths of
three people in the poor Manfuhah neighbourhood of Riyadh.
Ambassador Muhammed Hassan Kabiera told
the English-language Arab News daily that the clashes "occurred because
the illegal workers were frustrated they did not have a way to surrender to the
police".
The workers took to the streets to
voice their concerns, prompting "clashes with some youths in the
neighbourhood," he said.
"We have been informed that so far
about 23 000 Ethiopians have handed themselves in," Kabiera said.
On Tuesday, Ethiopia said three of its
citizens had died during clashes in the Gulf kingdom, without elaborating.
On Wednesday, Saudi media quoted Riyadh
governor Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz as saying that "casualties
and deaths have not surpassed three Saudis and two foreigners," again
without giving details.
Thousands of workers have handed
themselves in to authorities who are holding them in police-run centres pending
the procedures for their deportation being finalised.
In Addis Ababa, Foreign Ministry
spokesman Dina Mufti said on Tuesday that "the act of killing innocent
civilians is uncalled for, we condemn that".
Al-Riyadh daily quoted Prince Khaled as
defending the campaign, saying it "does not target a specific group but
all illegal" workers and residents.
Official sponsor
"We will continue these campaigns
until we ensure all residents in our country are staying legally," he
said.
On 4 November, the oil-rich kingdom
began rounding up thousands of illegals following the expiry of a final amnesty
for them to formalise their status.
Among them were foreigners who
overstayed their visas, pilgrims who had sought jobs, and migrants working
under one sponsor trying to get jobs elsewhere.
Having an official sponsor is a legal
requirement in Saudi Arabia and most other Gulf states.
Nearly a million migrants -
Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Indians, Nepalis, Pakistanis and Yemenis among them -
took advantage of the amnesty to leave.
Another roughly four million were able
to find employers to sponsor them.
Expatriates account for a full nine
million of the oil-rich kingdom's population of 27 million.
The lure of work, even in low-paid jobs
as domestics or construction workers, has made the country a magnet for
migrants from Asia as well as from poorer Arab states.
Despite its huge oil wealth, Saudi
Arabia has a jobless rate of more than 12.5% among its native population, a
figure the government has long sought to cut.
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