MAKKAH, 11 May 2008 — A Saudi veteran of the first Gulf War, unable to pay rent, is living destitute with his wife and nine children in a tent in a derelict part of the Aziziya district of Makkah.

Taxi driver Abdullah, 50, says he prefers to live with his children in a tent than ask for help and depend on charity. The father of five girls and four boys — who are all of school age with the oldest being 15 and the youngest two — participated in the war to liberate Kuwait. “I am very proud of what I achieved when I served my nation,” he told Arab News.

“I was fired from the army in 1992 because of my frequent absence. My father was sick and I had to spend time taking care of him. Then I tried to search for another job, but couldn’t find any,” he added.

Speaking about the circumstances that led him to live in the tent, Abdullah said he receives social security benefits totaling SR2,800 a month, half of which goes toward paying for his taxicab. His monthly rent used to be SR1,200. Left with only SR200 and profit from his taxi being very low, Abdullah said he found it difficult to meet expenses, especially as his family grew large.

Finally, he was forced leave his rented accommodation and move to a tent.

Abdullah said how his car recently broke down and how he needed a spare part costing SR1,300 to fix it. “I left my car for two months. Then a friend lent me some money to get it fixed,” he said.

“I pity my children. Sometimes they faint because of the heat and insect bites. We end up splashing water over their heads and bodies to protect them from getting sun burned. When it gets too hot, we go for a drive in the car and cool down with the air conditioner,” he said.

Abdullah said his family relies on street lamps for light at night and that he uses the trunk of his car to store clothes. The family rents a house for a day every two weeks to get some respite and wash their clothes. They then return to the tent.

Some of Abdullah’s passengers recognize him and wonder why he lives in the street. When they hear his story, they offer help. However, he refuses to accept charity.

At the end of his conversation with Arab News, Abdullah urged officials to help him. He said he had tried several times to send a telex message to the authorities. However, for this he needs a landline phone, which he has no access to.