Col Rabih Alenezi says he was ordered to evict villagers from a tribe in the Gulf state to make way for The Line, part of the Neom eco-project.
One of them was subsequently shot and killed for protesting against eviction.
The Saudi government and Neom management refused to comment.
The area where Neom is being built has been described as the perfect “blank canvas” by Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. But more than 6,000 people have been moved for the project according to his government - and UK-based human rights group ALQST estimates the figure to be higher.
Col Alenezi, who went into exile in the UK last year, says the clearance order he was asked to enact was for al-Khuraybah, an area with villages that were mostly populated by the Huwaitat tribe, who have inhabited the Tabuk region in the country’s north-west for generations.
He said the April 2020 order stated the Huwaitat 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”.
I do find it extremely odd they chose to build this project in the desert of one of the most oppressive countries in the world. If I had to guess why it is happening in Saudia Arabia, I would guess they are trying to green wash their image, and possibly make it seem like Saudia Arabia is a super futuristic place that people should visit.
From the video, it looks like part green washing, part fearing a post-oil word, part corruption, and part scam.
If SA was serious about their own future, they’d do like Norway with its Oil Fund. Instead, they’ve been squandering their oil income, and it seems like these projects are aimed both at scamming international partners as well as their own funds, with green washing as a facade.