In the world of politics, Mohamed bin Salman is the name of Saudi Crown Prince, and in the world of crime, it is the name of the murderer of Jamal Khashoggi, and the one who imprisoned thousands of Saudi figures.
NEOM in the world of investments is a name associated with a city that Mohamed bin Salman is working to establish according to a fictitious failed vision.
In Saudi public opinion, it is a name associated with the killing and forced displacement of thousands of residents from their homes and lands, and the killing of Saudi citizen Abdul Rahim Al-Huwaiti by the security forces of Saudi Arabia, which killed him for rejecting the forced displacement decision.
Ongoing Crisis
In 2017, Prince Fahd bin Sultan, the governor of the Tabuk region, met with a group of residents of the southern region, where MBS is establishing his dream Neom project. They all negotiated to guarantee their homes ownership and not to be forcibly displaced, however, the prince broke the meeting by saying I cannot do anything for you, and the Crown Prince’s plan began by emptying the area of its people, which is Al-Huwaitat tribe that has inhabited the area for more than eight centuries, and has expanded in both Egypt and Jordan.
Members of the tribe are the most affected by the decisions of the Crown Prince, as his plan included areas (Qayal, Al-Aseelah, Sharma, Al-Khuraiba) to the south in its first phase, while in the second phase it includes the areas of (Al-Badaa, Makna, Al-Muwailih) to the north. About 30,000 people live in these areas, according to the official statistics of Saudi Arabia.
The tribe was unable to stand watching their right to life, land, and home being violated by the Crown Prince, so they resisted this by making campaigns launched by activists outside Saudi Arabia, and those inside insisted to stay in their homes. The Crown Prince’s State Security Apparatus carried out extensive arrest campaigns against dozens of men and women of the tribe, demolished dozens of houses and forcibly seizing large lands of the people’s lands, forcing them to leave their homes.
Continued Injustice
The regime did not only kill Al-Huwaiti, but it continued to subjugate all the members of the tribe including women, and those detained are:
1. Mrs. Halima Ahmed Al-Huwaiti
2. Ahmed Abdel Nasser Al Hwaiti
3. Arshad Rahi Al Hwaiti
4. Sami Halil Al-Huwaiti
5. Suleiman Mohamed Al-Huwaiti
6. Abdullah Rashid Al-Huwaiti
7. Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Huwaiti
8. Abdullah Dakhil Allah Abu Taqiqa Al-Huwaiti
9. Shadi Dakhil Allah Abu Taqiqa Al Huwaiti
10. Awn Abdullah Al-Huwaiti
11. Saleh Salim Al-Raqabi
12. Deifullah Salama Al-Huwaiti
13. Hadi Salem Afnan
14. Mohamed Salem Al-Hwaiti
15. Mohamed Saqr Al-Hwaiti
16. Abdullah Saleh Hayes
17. Abdullah Marzouq Al-Qarani
18. Ahmed Talib Al-Hwaiti
Despite all these injustices, bin Salman is still moving forward with his repressive practices, spending the kingdom’s money and using its people to market Neom abroad to improve his and his regime’s image.
