• Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Feature
  • Videos
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Feature
Videos
Infographs
In Pictures
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. MENA
  4. MBS "Vision" resumes demolition of neighborhoods in Jeddah
MENA

MBS "Vision" resumes demolition of neighborhoods in Jeddah

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 16 May 2022 10:21
  • 2 Shares

The demolition of buildings in at least twelve neighborhoods of Jeddah has resumed, leaving hundreds of families homeless and without a place to live.

  • KSA resumes demolition of neighborhoods in Jeddah.
    KSA resumes demolition of neighborhoods in Jeddah.

On Saturday, the Committee for the Undeveloped Neighborhoods in Jeddah delivered letters to residents of Bani Malik, Al-Wurud, Al-Mosharafa University, Al-Rehab, Al-Aziziyah, Al-Rawabi, Al-Rabwa, Al-Mountazah, Quwaizah, Al-Adl, Al-Fazl, Umm Al-Salam, and Northern Kilo 14 ordering them to vacate in preparation for razing their homes.

The Committee earlier declared that it would cease neighborhood demolitions during Ramadan and resume work once the holy Muslim fasting month was through.

The demolitions are conducted amid substantial local opposition. Human rights organizations have also labeled the recent events in Jeddah as forced displacement.

Residents argue that Saudi officials are demolishing thriving, diverse working-class areas that once made Jeddah the most open city in the country.

“We have become strangers in our city. We feel suffering and bitterness,” a Saudi doctor, who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation from the authorities, said.

Demolition and eviction 

The operation is widely suspected of fuelling anti-regime sentiment in the 30-plus neighborhoods affected, many of which housed a mix of Saudi nationals and foreigners from various Arab countries and East Asian governments.

Evicted individuals had been living in their homes for up to 60 years, according to the London-based rights group ALQST, an independent non-governmental organization supporting human rights in Saudi Arabia.

Some were forced to leave after their power and water were cut off, while others were threatened with jail for ignoring an eviction order, according to the report.

According to a resident of Jeddah's southern district of Galil, where the first demolitions occurred last October, security forces confiscated cell phones to prevent the footage from leaking.

“We were suddenly expelled from our homes overnight and without warning,” said the man, who gave his name as Fahd.

No compensation, warning

Saudi officials have stated that the Kingdom will compensate families for their losses, and the government promised in February that 5,000 replacement housing units would be completed by the end of the year.

Residents, particularly those who were evicted early on, complained that they were not given proper notice or compensation when their homes and neighborhoods were razed.

The Saudi government labeled a large portion of the older parts of Jeddah as slums, vilifying them as pits of crime and vice.

Read next: MBS 'Vision' demolishes houses, promises homelessness

Those who live there deny this, claiming that they are long-established districts that provide affordable accommodation for the less fortunate among Saudis and expatriates alike.

Their rage has resulted in a rare outpouring of protest in Saudi Arabia on social media platforms such as Twitter and TikTok, denouncing what they regard as the plan's injustice and imbalance.

Bulldozers have left a stretch of Jeddah in ruins, with some comparing the picture to the aftermath of a battle.

  • KSA
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Jeddah

Trending Now

All
The drivers were eventually convinced to go ahead "after being given further information by bosses"

Are F1 drivers being threatened by Saudi authorities to race?

Most Read

Haaretz

Mossad agent killed in Italy part of anti-Iran mission: Israeli media

  • Europe
  • 3 Jun
In this image released by the Italian firefighters, a helicopter searches for missing passengers after a tourist boat capsized in a storm on Italy's Lago Maggiore in the northern Lombardy region, May 28, 2023 (AP)

Top Israeli intelligence official dead in Italy: Israeli media

  • Europe
  • 29 May
US linguist Noam Chomsky, who was among 550 academics who signed the petition calling on Glasgow University to respect free speech (AFP)

Chomsky: EU will deindustrialize if it abides by US-run world order

  • Europe
  • 31 May
Singer Adele performs during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP)

Calls for Adele to cancel her 'Israel' concert

  • Palestine
  • 31 May

Read this

All
During the call, Blumenthal directed Aun to a declassified document in which William Casey, CIA director during the Reagan era, proposed the US created a government-funded “National Endowment.”
Politics

Grayzone: NED VP escapes questioning on links to US intelligence

  • Today
A photo taken from a video published by Hailey Lujan. (Social Media)
US & Canada

Desperate US military using e-girls to recruit Gen Z into service

  • Today
Brazil
Latin America

Brazilian feds formally charge 2 more in murder of Philips and Pereira

  • Today
A man cycles past graffiti on in the Tower Hamlets neighborhood in London, Friday, July 22, 2022. (AP)
Europe

UK youngsters face increasing exploitation risk as poverty increases

  • Today
Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS