Nepali embassy in Saudi Arabia issues security alert for citizens

The Embassy of Nepal in Riyadh has asked Nepalis living in Saudi Arabia to stay on high alert and follow the instructions of local security authorities, as missile and drone attacks on the kingdom increase.

In a notice issued on Monday, October 26, the embassy told Nepalis to remain indoors while security alerts are in force, to check announcements from Saudi authorities regularly and to follow safety instructions strictly, The Kathmandu Post reported. The embassy also asked them not to post or forward unverified news, photographs or videos on social media.

Nepalis planning to fly out of Saudi Arabia, whether to Nepal or another country, were advised to check with their airline or another official source whether their flight schedule has changed before setting off for the airport.

The notice lists telephone, WhatsApp and email contacts for the embassy in Riyadh and for Nepal's Consulate General in Jeddah, and asks Nepalis who need help to get in touch with either mission.

The attacks behind the alert

Missiles and drones have been aimed at airports, oil installations and other key sites in Saudi Arabia as fighting between Yemen's Houthi rebels and the kingdom has intensified. On Tuesday, October 27, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted three ballistic missiles and four drones aimed at the country's eastern and southern regions, according to The Kathmandu Post and Nepal Bahas.

Both outlets reported that on October 21, Saudi air defences intercepted a drone aimed at Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oil field, and that debris from it fell on a contractor's vehicle. A Nepali worker and a Filipino worker were killed in that incident, and a Pakistani worker and an Indian worker were injured, the two outlets reported.

An estimated 400,000 Nepalis work in Saudi Arabia, and about 90,000 more leave Nepal for jobs there each year, Lokpath reported.