MAKKAH: Some 400 Chadian pilgrims blocked Al-Mansour Street here yesterday demanding that the authorities arrange transport for them to return home.
Abdul Wahid Saifuddin, chairman of the Tawafa Establishment for Non-Arab African Pilgrims, said the pilgrims blocked the road for several hours, preventing movement of vehicles and pedestrians.
He said the sit-in in violation of an agreement signed by the Chadian Haj mission with the Saudi authorities.
“There is a schedule for the return journey of each pilgrim and everyone has to follow that schedule,” Saifuddin said.
He said the Chadian Haj mission had failed to restrain the pilgrims and enlighten them on the need to follow regulations. “As a result it was difficult for us to convince these pilgrims that there are certain procedures for their return journey,” he added.
He said the schedule for the pilgrims’ return journey was finalized on the basis of information available on the Haj Ministry’s computer system. “If there is any change in return flights, we’ll inform the concerned Haj mission about it,” he pointed out.
The Chadians called off the protest and returned to their accommodation following the intervention of the local police and Haj Ministry officials.
Maj. Abdul Muhsin Al-Mayman, spokesman for Makkah police, said troops were deployed in the area to contain the situation and pacify the pilgrims. “Tackling such problems comes under the jurisdiction of the Haj Ministry, not the police,” Al-Maiman said, adding that police did not use force to disperse the protesters.
This was the second time this year when pilgrims from an African country staged street protests to draw attention to their travel woes. Last Thursday, more than 500 Nigerian pilgrims staged a sit-in in the same street after their return flights were delayed by a couple of days without notice.
The pilgrims were upset because they lacked money for their daily upkeep. A Tawafa official said the pilgrims returned to their camps after the organization promised to provide them with food and shelter until they board their flights home.
