The Ethiopian Government announced on last Tuesday that it has repatriated more than 27,300 nationals stranded in Myanmar and Saudi Arabia over the past five months, underscoring an intensified push to safeguard citizens abroad.
Presenting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ performance report to the House of Peoples’ Representatives, Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos said about 1,300 Ethiopians were returned from Myanmar, where they had endured what he described as “very difficult conditions”. The individuals were reportedly deceived by illegal brokers offering jobs in Southeast Asia and later confined to unauthorised camps along the Myanmar–Thailand border.
In parallel, the government facilitated the return of more than 26,000 Ethiopians stranded in Saudi Arabia during the same period, as part of what the minister framed as a citizen-centred diplomatic strategy.
Timothewos said the scale of the operation reflects the government’s firm commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of Ethiopians both at home and abroad. He also cautioned the public against the “deceptive propaganda” of human traffickers, urging citizens to avoid illegal overseas employment, particularly in countries without formal labour agreements with Ethiopia.