Qatari authorities have evicted hundreds of migrant workers from buildings in central Doha, casting a new shadow on the countdown to the World Cup, residents and workers said on Saturday. and lock them up before the tournament begins on November 20, according to local residents. The government said the buildings were "uninhabitable", it was duly notified and alternative "safe and adequate housing" found for all. expelled.
The affected area, much of it around Al-Mansoura, has undergone massive rehabilitation in recent years and some World Cup fans will live in apartments in the neighborhood where dozens of mechanical bulldozers are parked on the streets. In the early hours of Saturday, Yunus, a Bangladeshi driver, slept in the back of his truck on a street in Al Mansoura after being evicted from a block for three nights.
"The first night was chaotic and there wasn't enough room for everyone to go anywhere else," he said. In any case, "this truck is my life and I'm not leaving it until I have a place to park it," he added. Yunus said it is the third time in three years that he has been forced to move. including Kenya and Uganda, they make up more than 80 percent of Qatar's 2.8 million people.
Qatar has come under intense scrutiny for its treatment of foreign workers who built most of the shiny new stadiums and transport infrastructure for the World Cup. The energy-rich state has been criticized for deaths, injuries and unpaid wages. International unions say conditions have improved dramatically in recent years and Qatar has highlighted its reforms, but human rights groups say more needs to be done. saw two buildings evicted, said most workers were not paying rent and had no leases.
"They're basically squatters," he said on condition of anonymity. "They stay in one building for a few months and then are forced to find another." They were good customers. I had brought extra rice because they buy so much, now I'm keeping that," added the coach. "In this case, it's the timing so close to the World Cup that it's all wrong."
Qatar World Cup organizers, who have booked some apartment houses, have forwarded inquiries to the government. The Qatari government said authorities acted against "unplanned and informal housing" under a 2010 law. Contracts have the option to move to another location within a reasonable period of time,” a Qatari government official told AFP. Cities farthest from the capital.
Most of the displaced do not work for the large companies that provide housing and food for workers. Many work for a daily fee or for small businesses. “They live in these apartment blocks to avoid paying rent. Wages are low so every penny counts,” said a migrant living next to an empty building.