Saudi forces were cleared to use "lethal force" to remove those resisting relocation to make way for The Line mega city as part of Neom in Saudi Arabia, according to a report by UK media organisation the BBC.
Speaking to the BBC, Colonel Rabih Alenezi said that he was part of the team ordered to evict people from villages ahead of the development of The Line in northwest Saudi Arabia.
"Whoever continues to resist [eviction] should be killed"
According to Alenezi, when he was ordered to evict people from the Al-Khurayba village, which is near the site of The Line mega city, he was authorised to use lethal force against those who refused to leave.
"Whoever continues to resist [eviction] should be killed, so it licensed the use of lethal force against whoever stayed in their home," Alenezi told the BBC. The BBC added that it had not been able to independently verify Alenezi's allegations.
Dezeen has reached out to Neom for comment.

Read: UN Human Rights Council experts "express alarm" over imminent executions connected to Neom

Neom is set to be built on a 10,200-square-mile area in the Tabuk region of Saudi Arabia that is largely occupied by members of the Huwaitat tribe. According to Alenezi, the clearance order stated the tribe contained "many rebels".
The Al-Khurayba village is one of several villages that have been cleared to make way for Neom. The BBC published before and a...