File photo shows locals attending a commemoration in Adwa town, northern Ethiopia on March 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
ADDIS ABABA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Monday 1,085 Ethiopians imprisoned in Saudi Arabia have returned home over the last three days.
In a press statement sent to Xinhua, the Office of the Spokesperson of MoFA, said the release of the Ethiopians came after the visit of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week.
"MoFA is working with the International Organization for Migration to rehabilitate the returnees and assist in their return to their home areas," said the statement from MoFA.
Ahmed had paid a two-day official state visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday and Friday, during which he held discussion with Saudi Arabia's Crown Price Mohammed bin Salman on ways to boost Ethio-Saudi ties and the fate of Ethiopians detained in Saudi jails.
It is estimated every year thousands of Ethiopians travel across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia looking for better economic opportunities, often employed in the informal sector without having valid residency permits.