Riyadh to legalise status of Yemenis illegally living in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia ordered Saturday the concerned authorities to legalize status of Yemenis illegally living in the country in the next two months, Saudi Press Agency reported.

This will be part of an order by the royal court in consideration of current situations in Yemen and in response to the call of Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to stand with the Yemeni government and citizens.

The Yemenis illegally in Saudi Arabia will be given renewable six-month visit visas after getting travel documents from their government, the report said, adding that they will also be allowed to work in according to the country's regulations.

On March 26, Saudi Arabia started airstrikes against the Houthi group and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was accused of supporting the Houthis to overthrow Hadi, aiming to reinstate the Yemeni government.

More than 1,000 people in Yemen were killed and 3,000 others wounded since the battles and airstrikes began, according to statistics released recently by the Yemeni government.