SAUDI forces have allegedly been ordered to kill people to make way for a linear city planned as part of a $500billion project to boost GDP.
One ex-intelligence officer claimed he was told to use “lethal force” against any “rebels” who refused to leave their homes.
Col Rabih Alenezi told the BBC he was ordered to evict villagers from a tribe to make way for much-anticipated sideways skyscraper The Line, one of nine announced regions of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud’s ambitious Neom project.
He claimed one of the villagers was shot and killed during the clearance mission for protesting against the evictions.
The Line is to be the first development in the new urban area, hoped by the kingdom to add $48billion (£38billion) to the country’s GDP, along with other elements of the Saudi Vision 2030 program.
It was originally planned to stretch across 170km – from the mountains of Neom across desert valleys to the Red Sea – and tower 500m above sea level while only being 200m wide.
But plans for the 105-mile-long build were dramatically scaled back in a humiliation for Saudi Arabia, with The Line to stretch a measly 1.5 miles – rather than the previously-envisioned 10 miles – by 2030.
Crown Prince Bin Salman previously described the area where Neom is being built as the perfect “blank canvas”.
Although his own government has said that more than 6,000 people have been moved for the project.
New satellite images of villages Al-Khuraybah, Sharma, and Gayal – mostly populated by the Huwaitat tribe – showed a blank slate in April where homes, schools, and hospitals stood only a few years ago.
Col Alenezi, who went into exile in the UK last year, told the BBC of a clearance order he was allegedly asked to enact for the village of Al-Khuraybah, located in Tabuk region, 4.5km south of The Line.
The April 2020 order stated the Huwaitat tribe, which has inhabited Tabuk for generations, was made up of “many rebels” and “whoever continues to resist [eviction] should be killed, so it licensed the use of lethal force against whoever stayed in their home,” he claimed.
The ex-intelligence officer said he dodged the mission on invented medical grounds but it went ahead anyway.
Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti was shot dead by Saudi authorities a day after he refused to allow a land registry committee to value his property, the BBC reports.
Saudi state security alleged at the time that the villager had opened fire on security forces and they had no choice but to retaliate, while human rights organisations and the UN claimed he was killed simply for resisting eviction.
At least 47 other villagers who resisted evictions were detained and many were prosecuted on terror-related charges, according to the UN and ALQST Organisation For Supporting Human Rights.
Forty remain in detention, five of whom are on death row, said ALQST.
Several were allegedly arrested for mourning Al-Huwaiti’s death.
Saudi authorities claimed that those needed to move to make way for The Line were offered compensation, but ALQST said the figures paid out were much lower than what was promised.
American businessman Andrew Wirth who joined Neom in March 2020 said he had heard about the killing of Al-Huwaiti and repeatedly asked his employers about the evictions.
He said: “It just reeked of something terrible [that] had been exacted upon these people…
“You don’t step on their throats with your boot heels so you can advance.”
Mr Wirth left the gigaproject less than a year after he joined.
The first phase of The Line was reportedly downsized by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for financial reasons.
Some say the Saudi crown prince’s ambitious plans to transform the kingdom’s economy with Neom risks squandering much of the country’s cash on what is effectively an experiment.
Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics Middle East Centre Madawi al-Rasheed told the Wall Street Journal: “Mohammed bin Salman is gambling here.
“Spending so much money should in theory generate a tangible leap in the Saudi economy,” but much of the cash already spent has gone to foreign consultants and architects.
The project faces many other challenges, including finding a place to house 100,000 construction workers – in the desert, a two-hour drive from any sizeable city – and locating the massive resources required.
SAUDI Arabia is set to spend £138billion every year on mega projects between 2025 and 2028.
Here are some of the most ambitious projects the Middle Eastern country plans to launch by 2030.
NEOM– It is set to be a Jetsons-style ultra-modern metropolis in contrast to the other very conservative parts of the desert kingdom.
Backed by Saudi’s £400billion Private Investment Fund – the group which bought Newcastle United – the plans for Neom are so ambitious that some of the technology doesn’t even exist yet.
Planning docs show the city will have flying taxis – a vehicle depicted in science fiction films such as Blade Runner and Back to the Future II.
The most striking thing about Neom is a mirrored megastructure called The Line – a 110-mile, 500m tall and 200m wide mirrored building that will connect Neom to the rest of the kingdom.
Red Sea Project – The Red Sea Project is a tourism development on an archipelago of Saudi Arabian islands with its dedicated airport.
It’s set to be built on 90 undeveloped islands between Umluj and Al Wajh on Saudi Arabia’s west coast.
Super Cave Hotel – Also part of Neom, Leyja will be a jaw-dropping hotel complex carved into the walls of a giant canyon.
Directors of the project claim it will open its doors to tourists in 2024 – despite not being built yet.
It will have three state-of-the-art hotels, designed by world-leading architects to blend in with the natural surroundings that make up 95 per cent of the futuristic city.
The hotels will have 120 luxurious rooms and will operate completely sustainably to provide “distinct experiences”.
Future City Epicon – Epicon is the latest megalomaniac development to be announced by Neom on November 15.
This futuristic coastal city will feature residential beach villas, hotels, and a luxurious resort.
Located on the Gulf of Aqaba, Epicon will be comprised of two ultra-modern towers, measuring 738ft and 908ft.
The sky-high destination will be home to 41 hotels and luxury homes, offering 14 suites and hotel apartments.
Close to the pair of luxury towers, Epicon’s very own resort will be located, featuring 120 rooms and 45 stunning residential beach villas.
Epicon will also offer a beach club, spas, an array of recreational activities and water sports, culinary options for every palate, and the natural beauty of the shorelines in Neom.
