Residents left in dire straits after Saudi govt bulldozes poor Jeddah neighbourhoods

Residents left in dire straits after Saudi govt bulldozes poor Jeddah neighbourhoods

The Observers















Issued on: 20/04/2022 - 18:38

















02:36



Around 40 neightbourhoods in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah are slated to be demolished to make way for an urban development project. © Observers











Over the past three months, the Saudi government has launched a massive demolition campaign targeting dozens of poor neighbourhoods in Jeddah, to make way for an urban development project. With very little time to leave and no compensation, hundreds of thousands of people are now in dire straits, with no way to appeal, as our Observer explains.









The Saudi Public Investment Fund, presided over by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, announced the launch of a 20 billion dollar (around 18 billion euro) development project called Jeddah Central. The development will include a museum, an opera house, a stadium, an aquarium, hotels and new residential neighbourhoods. 

Authorities have carried out demolitions in about 60 different neighbourhoods, most located in the southern part of the city, near the port. And even more neighbourhoods will be affected in the