{UAH} THEY WENT ALL THE WAY ON FOOT. THEY ARE RETURNING BY AIR

Ethiopia: More Than Expected!

24 NOVEMBER 2013

As migrants illegally in Saudi Arabia continue to file back into the country after the kingdom's amnesty expired, Foreign Affairs Minister Tedros Adhanom (PhD), , who has been visible in welcoming them back alongside Dina Mufti , Ministry spokesman, seems stunned by their larger than expected numbers.

Thousands of Ethiopians are known to live in the Middle Eastern country, working primarily in low-skilled jobs. Their exact number is a mystery, however, to both countries' authorities, as evidenced by the surprise handed to the minister as he handles repatriation efforts.

Even the most generous estimations, however, put them at only a fraction of the nine million migrants keen to take advantage of opportunities in the oil-rich country. As the deadline loomed for legalising statuses, millions of migrants - mostly Asians - either got their residence permits or left the country.

Those who chose to stay behind, including Ethiopians, are now facing deportation. The full scale of the operation, however, only became clear as planes full of returnees touched down at Bole International Airport. While talking to journalists, on Friday, November 22, 2013, the minister stated that the government expects at least double, perhaps even triple, the original estimate of returnees. Published on November 24, 2013 [ Vol 14 ,No 708]

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower