Design plan for the 500-metre tall parallel structures, known collectively as The Line, in the heart of the Red Sea megacity Neom (Picture: Getty)
‘Shoot to kill’ – these are the orders of the Saudi Arabian government to clear the land for its £400 billion megacity called Neom, it has been alleged.
Rabih Alenezi, a senior official in the kingdom’s security service for 20 years, says he was told to evict people from a tribe in the Gulf state to make way for The Line, part of the eco-project.
One of the villagers was subsequently gunned down for protesting against all the ongoing evictions, the BBC reported in a new investigations.
Launched in 2017 by crown prince Bin Salman, the site is at the northern tip of the Red Sea, due east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba and south of Jordan.
More than 100,000,000 cubic metres of sand have been moved for the megacity (Picture: Giles Pendleton)
The total planned area of Neom is 26,500 km² in the Tabuk Province, traditionally inhabited by the Howeitat tribe.
Displacement of tribespeople has been ongoing for three years to make room for the megacity.
Col Alenezi, who sought asylum in the UK after claiming to have been ordered to carry out human rights violations, told the BBC that orders stated that ‘whoever continues to resist [eviction] should be killed, so it licensed the use of lethal force against whoever stayed in their home’.
Satellite images show homes, schools and hospitals demolished in the villages of Sharma, Gayal and al-Khuraybah, where he was ordered to carry out the mission.
Buildings floating above the marina (Picture: Neom)
‘The Dark Side of Neom’, a 2023 report from human rights group Alqst, said that 47 members of the Howeitat tribe have been arrested or detained.
Of those, 40 remain in detention, five of whom are on death row, the organisation says.
Authorities insist that those required to move for the megacity have been offered compensation.
But the figures paid out have been much lower than the amount promised, it has been reported by Alqst.
The megacity will feature two massive, mirror-encased skyscrapers that extend over 170 kilometres of desert and mountain terrain Picture: Getty)
Col Alenezi says: ‘[Neom] is the centrepiece of Bin Salman’s ideas. That is why he was so brutal in dealing with the Huwaitat.’
He is one of the highest ranked defectors from Saudi Arabia in recent history, and still receives death threats for speaking out against the regime.
Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti was one of the people who refused to allow a valuation of his property.
He was shot dead by Saudi authorities a day later, during the clearance mission that Col Alenezi referred to.
The Line’s masterplan is set to ‘redefine livability’ (Picture: Neom)
The United Nations confirmed he was killed simply for resisting, but a statement issued by Saudi state security at the time alleged al-Huwaiti had opened fire on security forces.
Aerial images show released by the kindom show what the futuristic city would look like once completed.
The Line will allegedly feature mirror skyscrapers, an artificial mountain and ski resort, an octagonal floating port, a dedicated swimming lane for commuters as well as a sophisticated AI and robots network designed to serve its uber-rich residents, all in the middle of the desert.
More than 100,000,000 cubic metres of sand have been moved as contractors excavate the 75-mile canyon.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Neom for a comment on the allegations.
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