ADDIS ABABA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Tuesday a total of 888 nationals have returned home from the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia in recent days.
Dina Mufti, Spokesperson for MoFA, said in addition to the 888 Ethiopian nationals who returned home in recent days, activities are being undertaken to repatriate an additional 150 Ethiopian migrants from war-torn Yemen.
It is estimated every year thousands of Ethiopians looking for better economic opportunities abroad are trafficked through neighboring countries to reach the Arabian Peninsula.
Desperate Ethiopian migrants, who often attempt to cross the dangerous Red Sea route via neighboring nation Djibouti, regularly endure deadly incidents along the Red Sea as well as imprisonment and killings in the war-torn Yemen.
In recent months, Ethiopia has stepped up efforts to return home tens of thousands of its citizens stranded in various foreign countries, as part of the government's newly unveiled "citizen focused diplomacy."
The Ethiopian government is also working to dismantle sophisticated human trafficking networks, as well as create economic opportunities for nationals with low incomes. Enditem
