Ethiopia has repatriated another 1,273 nationals from Saudi Arabia as Addis Ababa continues a large-scale programme to bring home citizens facing difficult conditions in the Gulf kingdom, even after 1,971 Ethiopians recently received a royal amnesty from Saudi authorities.
- Ethiopia has repatriated 1,273 nationals from Saudi Arabia as part of an ongoing large-scale programme.
- The returnees included 1,108 men, 163 women, two children, and 49 people under 18 years old.
- Authorities provided assistance and temporary accommodation to the returnees while working to reunite them with their families.
- Since September 2025, more than 104,000 Ethiopians have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia due to difficult conditions.
The latest group arrived in Ethiopia on September 28, 2026, according to the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs.
The returnees included 1,108 men, 163 women and two children. The ministry said the group also included 49 people under the age of 18.
Authorities provided assistance at the airport and temporary accommodation centres, while officials began efforts to reunite the returnees with their families.
The latest arrivals push the number of Ethiopians repatriated from Saudi Arabia to more than 104,000 since the government launched the current operation on September 15, 2025.
The programme targets Ethiopian nationals facing difficult circumstances in Saudi Arabia, which hosts a large migrant population from the Horn of Africa.
Saudi crackdown puts Ethiopians in focus
The latest repatriation comes as Saudi Arabia steps up enforcement against residency, labour and border violations.
Business Insider Africa earlier reported that Saudi authorities deported 14,905 people following a week-long nationwide crackdown.
Ethiopians accounted for the largest share of people caught attempting to enter the kingdom illegally during that operation.
Of the 1,450 people arrested while trying to cross into Saudi Arabia, 58% were Ethiopians and 41% were Yemenis. Other nationalities accounted for the remaining 1%.
Saudi authorities also arrested 44 people who were attempting to leave the kingdom illegally.
The enforcement drive comes alongside diplomatic efforts by Addis Ababa to secure relief for Ethiopian nationals facing legal and immigration problems in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, nearly 2,000 Ethiopians were granted a royal amnesty following sustained diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
According to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1,971 citizens benefited from the amnesty after the government intensified talks with Saudi authorities to seek clemency for its nationals.
The ministry said Ethiopia’s embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah worked with Saudi officials to pursue legal remedies, improve consular access and seek humanitarian consideration for Ethiopians detained in the kingdom.
The combination of mass repatriations, deportations and diplomatic interventions underlines the scale of the migration challenge between Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia.
Despite repeated return operations, Ethiopians continue to feature prominently in Saudi immigration enforcement, reflecting the persistent flow of migrants seeking work in the kingdom through both regular and irregular routes.
