Kuwaiti authorities broke up riots by a group of Egyptian workers demanding repatriation back home at shelters designated for those who had violated the Gulf country s residency laws, arresting several people, the Kuwaiti interior ministry said on Monday.
Kuwaiti policemen intervened after “riots and chaos” erupted, arresting some of the rioters who had been referred to authorities for legal action, the statement published on Twitter said.
Representatives from the Egyptian Embassy in Kuwait visited the shelter and promised the workers that the embassy would arrange repatriation flights this week, it added.
Kuwait said late in March it would allow expatriates violating its residency laws to leave the country without paying fines or flight tickets.
Around 28,000 foreigners out of an estimated 160,000 who have no legal residencies have registered for repatriation, according to Kuwaiti local media. Those include around 6,500 Egyptians.
The statement by the Gulf country came hours after Egypt’s Emigration Minister Nabila Makram said in TV comments that the priority for repatriation flights would be given to Egyptians in the Gulf, especially those in Kuwait,
The plan to repatriate Egyptians stranded abroad include humanitarian emergencies, those violating residency laws and workers with terminated contracts, she said.
