Saudi "Settlements"

Minority Saudi Shi'ites get land near Yemen border

Ismaili Shi'ites, a majority in the Najran area but a minority in mainly Sunni Saudi Arabia, have long complained of discrimination and poor living standards.

Saudi authorities are keen to improve security along the border with Yemen, a country they see as a possible staging post for attacks against them by al-Qaida. State news agency SPA said late on Sunday that King Abdullah had decided to allocate about 1,200 sq km (463 sq miles) to people in Najran.

Mohammad al-Askar, a leading Ismaili activist, said...40,000 Najranis were waiting for land, some of them for 20 years. "The king has answered some of the aspirations of the Najrani people. This decision will improve the living standards of Najranis," Askar told Reuters. "People in Najran have been celebrating since this morning."

...While Najran's Shi'ites are natural enemies of Sunni al-Qaida, analysts and diplomats say the land distribution should help deter them from turning to other illegal activities such as smuggling. Saudi Arabia and Yemen share a long mountainous border porous enough to be used for all sorts of trafficking, from illegal Muslim pilgrims to drugs and weapons.

King Abdullah last year removed Najran's governor after the Ismaili Shi'ites complained about efforts to settle Sunnis of Yemeni origin and give them housing and jobs in an effort to further marginalize Ismailis. Violent clashes broke out in 2000 between hundreds of Ismailis and the police in Najran.

Last week, some 181 Ismaili citizens asked the new governor, a son of the king, to pacify the impoverished area by ending discrimination and improving living standards. Saudi media have reported plans to improve Najran infrastructure and the government is setting up an industrial hub in nearby Jizan province to create jobs in the relatively poor south.