(Nov 21, (Middle East Eye))--As news spread of the detention of Saudi princes and business moguls in Riyadh earlier this month, alarm bells were ringing in another capital more than 1,000km away: one of Ethiopia's most important investors was under arrest.
It remains unclear why Saudi authorities arrested Mohammed Hussein al-Amoudi, an Ethiopian-born dual citizen who is reportedly the second richest Saudi, behind Prince al-Waleed bin Talal.
Yet while Talal – and his investments in everything from Citigroup to Twitter to the Savoy – may have gained the most media attention worldwide, Amoudi's arrest is significant for its potential to disrupt the economy of an entire country.
Amoudi – or "the Sheikh", as he is known - has invested in nearly every sector of the country's economy, including hotels, farming and mining - so much so that American diplomats once questioned how "nearly every" privitisation in Ethiopia since 1994 had involved Amoudi's companies. Read more from Middle East Eye »
It remains unclear why Saudi authorities arrested Mohammed Hussein al-Amoudi, an Ethiopian-born dual citizen who is reportedly the second richest Saudi, behind Prince al-Waleed bin Talal.
Yet while Talal – and his investments in everything from Citigroup to Twitter to the Savoy – may have gained the most media attention worldwide, Amoudi's arrest is significant for its potential to disrupt the economy of an entire country.
Amoudi – or "the Sheikh", as he is known - has invested in nearly every sector of the country's economy, including hotels, farming and mining - so much so that American diplomats once questioned how "nearly every" privitisation in Ethiopia since 1994 had involved Amoudi's companies. Read more from Middle East Eye »
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