The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is continuing a reinforced national effort to repatriate its citizens living under challenging circumstances in various foreign countries.
This expansive operation has successfully brought home more than 500,000 citizens over the past four years. These individuals were facing difficult conditions across the Middle East, Africa, and Asian nations, including Myanmar.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), in a statement today, disclosed that this operation falls under "citizen-centered diplomacy," which it considers a key pillar of its foreign relations work.
The MoFA's primary focus is on properly implementing this policy by safeguarding the rights of Ethiopian nationals abroad, providing essential consular services, and ensuring the dignified and safe return of those without legal residency or those required to leave their host countries—with their rights, dignity, and safety protected.
The repatriation work remains strengthened and active. In a significant recent effort, over 17,000 citizens have been returned from Saudi Arabia since September 15, 2025 (Meskerem 5, 2018 E.C.), particularly those held in various prisons and detention centers.
Concurrent efforts are underway to bring home other citizens living in difficult conditions across Saudi Arabia. Further demonstrating the breadth of the operation, 36 citizens who were in precarious situations in Yemen have also been successfully repatriated.
The government is coordinating document verification and travel preparations for other returnees from Yemen, working closely with the Immigration and Citizenship Service, the National Intelligence and Security Service, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Similar repatriation efforts are currently underway for citizens in difficult circumstances in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and other nations.
Despite these massive repatriation efforts, the government expressed grave concern that citizens continue to be misled by false information from illegal brokers, leading them to travel to various countries where they face imprisonment and death.
The Ministry strongly urged citizens to protect themselves and exercise caution against illegal travel, emphasizing that all travel and job placements abroad must strictly adhere to legal procedures and frameworks established by the government.
