ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announced on Tuesday it has returned home 450 nationals from Saudi Arabia.

In a press statement, the Spokesperson Office of MoFA, said the 450 Ethiopians who had been serving prison sentences in Saudi Arabia were returned home in recent days after negotiations with Saudi authorities.

MoFA further said its concluding preparations to return an additional 2,400 Ethiopians in recent days, currently serving prison sentences in Saudi Arabia.

MoFA didn't mention the crimes the Ethiopians have been detained for, but in recent years thousands of undocumented Ethiopians have been rounded up and put in prison in Saudi Arabia, accused of illegal entry.

It is estimated every year thousands of Ethiopians travel across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia looking for better economic opportunities, often employed in the informal sector without having valid residency permits. Enditem

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