ADDIS ABABA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government announced on Monday that it has repatriated 130 nationals who were stranded in difficult conditions in Myanmar.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that, over the past two days, the government, in collaboration with its partners, successfully repatriated 53 citizens from Thailand. These individuals entered Thailand after escaping human traffickers in Myanmar, the state-run Ethiopian News Agency reported.
Emphasizing that the repatriated nationals were in dire conditions in Myanmar, the ministry said a total of 130 Ethiopians have so far been repatriated from Myanmar via Thailand.
The Ethiopian nationals were misled by illegal brokers promising employment opportunities in Southeast Asia. Upon arrival, they were taken to unauthorized camps in areas bordering Myanmar and Thailand, where conditions were reportedly severe, according to the report.
The foreign ministry urged the public to stay cautious of false propaganda from human traffickers and to refrain from seeking illegal overseas employment opportunities.
Ethiopia's ongoing repatriation efforts are part of a broader national initiative to curb illegal migration. Deceived by traffickers, Ethiopian migrants often face life-threatening dangers during their journeys.
As part of its "citizen-centered" diplomatic commitment to rescuing nationals stranded abroad, the ministry announced in January that about 33,000 Ethiopians had been repatriated from various countries over six months. ■
