Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman ordered security agents to evict occupants of several villages earmarked for a futuristic Neom eco-city project by all means necessary, even if it required killing them, according to a former Saudi intelligence officer.
Citing Colonel Rabih Alenezi, the BBC said the Crown Prince did not tolerate resistance from the villagers and instead labelled their unwillingness to relocate from the region as a rebellion against the government to be met with heavy sanctions, including death.
The BBC said, citing satellite images of the region, that three villages, al-Khuraybah, Sharma, and Gayal, including schools and facilities, have already been levelled.
Mr Alenezi, presently seeking refuge in the UK, said he was deployed to al-Khuraybah to evict the residents but invented a medical excuse to dodge the task.
“Whoever continues to resist (eviction) should be killed, so it licensed the use of lethal force against whoever stayed in their home,” the BBC cited Mr Alenezi as saying based on the April 2020 clearance order.
Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti, who shielded his property from being valued by the land registry committee, was a victim of the order. He made posts on social media decrying the evictions of natives who have for generations occupied the Huwaitat.
Saudi authorities met his dissent with heavy gunfire, as he wound up dead a day during the clearance mission.
The kingdom uploaded a statement claiming that Mr al-Huwaiti fired live rounds against security operatives who were left with no other choice than to kill him. Still, the UN said the victim was murdered for resisting eviction.
Citizens who mourned Mr al-Huwaiti’s demise were arrested, human rights group ALQST said.
The UN said at least 47 other eviction protesters were arrested and charged with terrorism. Of the 47, five had been placed on death row while 35 others were languishing in detention, the UN and ALQST said.
Neom, the eco-project for which the Saudi government was evicting villagers from their ancestral homes, will cost $500 billion. The project aims to reduce the kingdom’s over-dependence on oil for revenue.
A prototype of The Line, Neom’s flagship project, shows that the building will dwarf the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building.
