A riot by illegal migrants in a Riyadh neighbourhood last weekend that left three people killed and about 70 injured seems to have hardened the authorities’ resolve to continue the crackdown on illegal workers in the kingdom.

The rioters, mostly Ethiopians and other East Africans, had gone on a rampage, pelting pedestrians and motorists with stones and ransacking shops. They damaged over 100 cars and wounded many people. More than 500 Ethiopians were rounded up.

On Monday, illegal immigrants from Chad and Ethiopia clashed in a Jeddah neighbourhood and 58 persons were arrested.

Over 5,000 illegal Ethiopian migrants were deported by Saudi Arabia in the past week. More than 17,000 surrendered to the authorities and will be deported soon.

Ethiopians, fleeing starvation and violence in their country, enter Saudi Arabia illegally through the long and porous Saudi-Yemeni border. They are illegally employed by Saudis in highly demanding manual labour and are paid meagre wages. A large number of Ethiopian women migrants are engaged as housemaids and domestic helps by Saudi families.

Manhoufa, a Riyadh neighbourhood known for its large illegal migrant population, mainly from East Africa, was one of the targets of the Labour and Interior officials hunting for illegal immigrants since the Nitaqat amnesty ended on November 3. On Saturday, when several inspectors tried to search hideouts in the area, the Ethiopians resisted and allegedly went on a rampage.

The Manhoufa rampage helped garner Saudi people’s support for the crackdown on illegal migrants. Earlier, a sizable section of the people, mainly business people, contactors and builders, had not favoured the crackdown as it deprived them of cheap labour. But, in the wake of the rampage, many Saudis are now asking the government to flush out all illegal immigrants and the authorities have reiterated that the drive against illegal immigrants would continue.

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