RIYADH (Middle East Eye) – The resident of Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jeddah is anxious about the future after a surprise eviction order was marked on his home with red spray paint a few days ago.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Salah said in conversations heard by Middle East Eye. “I don’t know where to go.”
Salah is one of at least a million people in Jeddah, according to local estimates, who have had their lives turned upside down in the last three months amid a large-scale demolition push by the government.
It’s part of a plan to rid the city of “slums” and unplanned settlements ahead of a series of grand redevelopment projects, according to pro-government news outlet Sabq.
At least 10 neighborhoods have been completely wiped out so far, as work continues in around another 10 areas. The plan targets some 60 districts mostly located in the city’s southern part and is expected to continue for months.
But residents say the demolitions have taken them by surprise and given them little to no room to plan their relocation or say goodbye to the neighborhoods they’ve lived in for generations.
To make matters worse, residents say the authorities have not put them in temporary government housing or offered any compensation, effectively turning many from homeowners to renters.
The displacement has caused a housing crisis, with rental prices skyrocketing across the city. In some cases, rents have doubled in a matter of days, residents say, and many aren’t able to afford them.
Some people have been forced to lay out their furniture in the open, taking shelter under bridges, according to eyewitness accounts. One resident said some families are sleeping in their cars.
Online footage and satellite images showed the widescale destruction of entire neighborhoods, which have been turned into dust.
Since late October, residents of south Jeddah have been surprised by the sudden and unusual scrawling of the word “eviction” on the walls of their homes and businesses.
The marking made by municipality employees serves as an eviction notice for Saudis living in areas marked for demolition.
With little time to leave, in some cases as short as 24 hours, residents have been left scrambling to move their belongings and find a new place to live. Once the eviction deadline passes, electricity and water services are cut off.
Residential buildings, schools, mosques and privately sponsored housing for the elderly and those in need have all been swept up in the demolitions.
Many Saudis have taken to social media in recent weeks, posting emotional farewells to their local mosques, alleyways and markets.