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| Ethiopia asks for extension of Saudi amnesty deadline | Ethiopia asks for extension of Saudi amnesty deadline |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Thousands of Ethiopians are still stuck in Saudi Arabia after a 90-day amnesty for undocumented migrants expired on Tuesday without all of them leaving , the Ethiopian government has said. | |
| Communications Minister Negeri Lencho told the BBC that the government has asked for the amnesty to be extended. | |
| He said more than 45,000 citizens had so far returned but there were many more waiting to go back home. | |
| Ethiopians have been employed in Saudi Arabia in building and domestic work. | Ethiopians have been employed in Saudi Arabia in building and domestic work. |
| Mr Negeri said that the government was expecting "a positive response" from the Saudi authorities for its request to extend the amnesty. | Mr Negeri said that the government was expecting "a positive response" from the Saudi authorities for its request to extend the amnesty. |
| In March 2017 the Saudi interior minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, announced the amnesty under a campaign called "A nation with no legal violator". | |
| During this period any one in breach of the country's residency and labour rules or regulations would be free to leave without facing any penalties. | |
| In 2013 a similar amnesty was announced, however any illegal migrant who did not leave Saudi Arabia had to face punishment by way of fines, prison or being deported. | |
| During that time a number of Ethiopians were killed in clashes with the Saudi police as they were being rounded up for deportation. | |
| Mr Negeri says that there was a slow uptake during the amnesty period because some people were sceptical the Saudi authorities would take action during the just ended period of Ramadan. | |
| Minister Negeri added that a taskforce and money has been set aside to receive and resettle the Ethiopian returnees. |