By Bileh Jelan @BilehJelan  Addis Abeba, August 27/2021 – In a fresh crackdown on what Saudi Arabia has long described as ‘illegal immigrants’, Ethiopian migrant workers both registered and unregistered have been targeted. The fresh crackdown also targeted Ethiopian permanent residents known legally as Foreign Residents or Muqeemen in Arabic.  …

Addis Abeba, december 17/2029 –After months in Yemen, Fuad Faris returned to Ethiopia in 2018. He had spent his savings in a bid to reach Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in search of a well-paying job. His dreams were, however, shattered after being intercepted in Yemen for irregularly crossing into the country.  “I …

Joey Ayoub for Addis Standard November 21/2019 – Under Lebanon’s horrific Kafala (‘sponsorship’) system, the legal status of migrant domestic workers is tied to that of their employers. In effect this means that if, out of desperation, she flees the house, she automatically becomes an illegal alien. On the streets of …