Thousands of Ethiopian migrants expelled from the Middle East and African countries are being quarantined in universities in a sign of the strain placed on vulnerable nations by mass deportations amid the coronavirus crisis.
Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Somalia and other countries have deported more than 5,000 illegal migrants to Ethiopia since April 1, according to the U.N. migration agency.
Health minister Lia Tadesse said Ethiopia was providing for the migrants – 13 of whom had tested positive for COVID-19 – and acknowledged concerns about spreading the virus to villages by sending them home.
“We are taking care of them and will continue to take care of them although, of course, it’s demanding in many aspects,” Tadesse told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.
The U.N. has warned that mass expulsions of illegal migrants by Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia risks spreading the virus and overwhelming quarantine efforts.
An internal U.N. memo seen by Reuters said Saudi Arabia was expected to deport some 200,000 Ethiopian migrants in total.
Tadesse said that no migrants had been deported by Riyadh in the past week.
Ethiopia, which has around 110 million people, has only recorded 133 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three deaths but experts say its public health system could swiftly be overwhelmed.
