A prestigious project in the Middle-East with a dark side

Saudi Arabia is pushing forward with the construction of Neom, a futuristic megacity and ecological prestige project, despite international criticism over human rights violations. According to a recent report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) people from the Howeitat tribe who live in the region earmarked for the city have been displaced and their homes demolished without adequate compensation.

What is more, one Howeitat man has been killed and the death sentences of three further tribe members have been confirmed, while three more have been handed 50-year jail sentences on terrorism charges.

“Despite being charged with terrorism, they were reportedly arrested for resisting forced evictions in the name of the Neom project and the construction of a 170-km (106-mile) linear city called The Line,” the report said.

All these human rights violations have happened despite the promise by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, 37-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — better known as MBS — that people affected by the construction work will be included in the planning and implementation processes. The $500 billion (462 billion euros) construction of Neom is the embodiment of Vision 2030, as Saudi Arabia’s economic and societal overhaul has been dubbed.

This set of reforms was introduced by MBS in 2017 and has so far led to improvements in women’s rights, increased tourist access to the country, and the opening up of alternative income sources in a bid to diversify the kingdom’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil revenues.

According to the construction plans, Neom, which is projected to be opened in 2039, is going to take up 26,500 square kilometers of Saudi territory near the Red Sea coast. The Saudi government plans that the city will utilize cutting-edge technology with a focus on artificial intelligence, and feature an airport, high-speed trains, and drones, all powered by renewable energy sources solely.

The project also serves as a broad platform for international investment. “Construction work on Neom has begun. However, the project is still very, very much at the beginning,” Sebastian Sons, senior researcher for the German-based Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO), told DW, adding that many international consultants are currently at work in Neom. “There are several direct-flight connections from Neom to London or to New York, so the ambitions are evident: Saudi Arabia really wants to make Neom happen,” Sons said.

He sees Neom as symbol for Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to lead the country into a new modernity. “Due to its international appeal, there is enormous pressure to implement the project,” he said. “If he were to fail with it, it would likely do considerable damage to the trust he enjoys among large sections of the population,” Sons told DW. Moreover, failure would also damage Saudi Arabia’s reputation as an international investment location.