*ADDIS ABABA: Saudi Arabia has agreed to release 1,000 Ethiopian nationalswho have been in prison in the Gulf state for a variety of offences,Ethiopian state affiliated media said on Saturday.*

The decision was made following a request by Ethiopian Prime Minister AbiyAhmed, who was in Riyadh on an official visit this week, Fana BroadcastingCorporation reported.

The agency said among the detainees were 100 women. It did not disclosewhat the charges were. Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian nationals live inthe Gulf region, mostly in Saudi Arabia.

Officials in Riyadh are in the process of deporting more than 500,000illegal Ethiopian migrants. So far, 160,000 have arrived back in the Hornof Africa country.