An exiled Saudi colonel says Saudi Arabia authorized the use of lethal force to clear the way for its Neom desert megacity.
Col Rabih Alenezi, who went into exile in the UK last year, told BBC News he was ordered to evict people living on the land to make way for a part of the project called The Line.
The area was mostly populated by the Huwaitat tribe, which traditionally lives on lands earmarked for the futuristic megacity.
Alenezi said the April 2020 order claimed the tribe was made up of “many rebels” and “whoever continues to resist should be killed, so it licensed the use of lethal force against whoever stayed in their home.” He told BBC News he managed to avoid the mission on fake medical grounds.
One of the villagers, Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti, was later killed by Saudi authorities, according to Saudi activists.
At the time, Saudi state security claimed al-Huwaiti had opened fire on security forces. Human rights organizations have disputed this claim, BBC News reported.
The outlet said it was not able to independently verify Alenezi’s comments about lethal force.
Representatives for the Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours. A representative for The Line declined to comment.
The Saudi government has said more than 6,000 people have been moved to facilitate its Neom project, but some human rights groups estimate the figure is higher.
Last year, UN human rights experts said three men protesting the Neom project were sentenced to death. UN Special Rapporteurs — experts who advise its human-rights council — claimed the men had been convicted under “overly vague” terror laws for their objections.
Saudi Arabia has been trying to suppress any public criticism about its ambitious Vision 2030 plans.
In July, a Saudi woman was jailed for 30 years for criticizing Neom on X. Fatima al-Shawarbi objected to the villagers’ exile from their homes to make way for the project.
Read More: Exiled Saudi colonel says forces were authorized to kill villagers who refused to make way
