Original upload date: Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Archive date: Sun, 07 Nov 2021 20:38:16 GMT
"Saudi Arabia, one of the wealthiest countries on earth, is keeping hundreds if not thousands of African migrants locked in heinous conditions reminiscent of Libya’s slave camps as part of a drive to
...
stop the spread of Covid-19, an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has found.
When the pandemic struck in March, the Saudi government in the capital Riyadh feared the migrants, who are often housed in overcrowded conditions, would act as vectors for the virus.
Several of the migrants said they had been rounded up from their homes in various Saudi Arabian cities before being placed in the camps.
A short video clip smuggled out shows several rooms covered with filth from an overflowing squat toilet. One Ethiopian man can be heard shouting out: “The toilets are clogged. We tried unblocking them, but we’re unable to. So we live in this filth, we sleep in it too.”
Saudi Arabia said that in light of recent articles it was looking into the state of all official government facilities.
The Saudi embassy in London said: "While the images are of course shocking and unacceptable to us as a country - we are looking into the state of all official government facilities in light of the allegations made in recent published articles. If facilities are found to be lacking their needs will be addressed appropriately.
"We believe there are about 20,000 Ethiopian immigrants who recently crossed the border into Saudi via Yemen and their repatriation is being negotiated with the Ethiopian government. Sadly, the Ethiopian authorities, have refused their re-entry under the claim of not being able to provide adequate quarantine facilities upon their arrival.
"Saudi Arabia has long welcomed migrants and expatriates from around the world. Millions continue to live and work in the kingdom and have been treated with dignity as our guests.
"We have offered free medical care for those who test positive for Covid-19 even if they are in the Kingdom illegally. Kindly note that there are approximately 200,000 legal Ethiopian immigration living and thriving in the Kingdom today."
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