For many young Yemenis, ensuring a future often means looking to Saudi Arabia, one of the few available routes to work and stability, especially for those hoping to avoid the conflict. However, the journey to the neighbouring kingdom costs around $2,500, far beyond the reach of most Yemenis.
Ahmed*, a 35-year-old chef and father of two, hoped to travel to Saudi Arabia to work in a restaurant but lacked the money needed for a visa or a Saudi sponsor.
“By late 2024, Ahmed decided to enter Saudi Arabia illegally and started working in a restaurant in Jazan. He was deported twice by the Saudi authorities,” his wife, Wafa, told Middle East Eye.
More than 1.8 million Yemenis live legally in Saudi Arabia, making the Yemeni community the kingdom's fourth-largest immigrant population, according to data from the Saudi Census 2022 published by the General Authority for Statistics in May 2023.
On his first journey to Saudi Arabia, Ahmed travelled alongside qat smugglers. He saw firsthand how they moved the leaf across the border, witnessing the risks faced by both smugglers and those attempting to cross illegally.
