Saudi Arabia sanctioned lethal force to clear land for Neom development

Saudi Arabia has sanctioned the use of lethal force to expedite land clearance for Neom, the futuristic $500 billion smart city and flagship project of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as part of his Saudi Vision 2030 strategy.

Former Saudi intelligence officer Colonel Rabih Alenezi disclosed to the BBC that he was tasked with the eviction of villagers from Al-Khuraybah, a settlement inhabited primarily by the Huwaitat tribe. According to the report, the directive was part of the effort to make land available for The Line, a narrow, car-free city stretching 170 kilometres. Only a fraction of this, 2.4 kilometres, is projected to be completed by 2030, it was revealed last month.

Alenezi, who has since sought political asylum in Britain, said that an order was given in April 2020 that described the Huwaitat as “many rebels,” mandating that “whoever continues to resist [eviction] should be killed.”

🔔Neom: Forces 'told to kill’ to clear land for eco-city #NeomForWhom
The employee (@ColAleneziRabih) claims that security forces were instructed to use lethal force to remove Bedouin communities from the area where the eco-city is being developed.

He said the April 2020 order… pic.twitter.com/cnahkhtKQc

— SALMA (@SALMMA1997) May 9, 2024

In 2020, Abdul Rahim Al-Huwaiti, a local tribesman and activist, was shot dead after he defied a land valuation committee and voiced his opposition through social media, where he would later become known as the “Martyr of NEOM”. Although Saudi state security claimed that he had fired upon its officers, triggering them to respond, human rights groups and the UN declared that he was executed for his resistance.

Although the Saudi government and Neom’s management have remained silent on these claims, satellite imagery analysed by the BBC confirms the demolition of three villages — Al-Khuraybah, Gayal and Sharma — for Neom’s construction. Homes, schools and hospitals have also been wiped off the map.

“Mohammed Bin Salman will let nothing stand in the way of the building of Neom,” added Alenezi. “I started to become more worried about what I might be asked to do to my own people.”

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