Sudan fighting: Diplomats and foreign nationals evacuated
As fighting in Khartoum continues, a growing number of countries are evacuating diplomats and their citizens.
On Sunday, the US and UK announced that they had evacuated diplomats from the country.
France, Germany and Spain are also evacuating their diplomats and nationals.
Violence has been raging in Sudan for over a week due to a vicious power struggle that pits the regular army against a powerful paramilitary group.
US authorities claimed that they airlifted less than 100 people on Sunday morning using three Chinook helicopters in an “efficient and clean” operation.
The US Embassy in Khartoum has now been closed. A tweet from its official account says that it’s not safe for the government of the US to evacuate US citizens.
In what was called a “complex” and “rapid” operation, the UK government successfully airlifted British diplomats as well as their families from the country. Foreign Minister James Cleverly stated that options for evacuating the remaining British citizens in Sudan are “extremely limited”.
According to a Monday update by the EU’s chief of foreign policy, more than 1,000 European Union nationals had been removed from Sudan.
Updates on evacuation operations have been provided by individual countries.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, confirmed on Sunday that a plane carrying French citizens arrived in Djibouti. The government also said on Monday that another evacuation had taken place. This brings the total number of people evacuated up to 388
On Monday morning, a few Dutch citizens and a group of Dutch people left Khartoum aboard a French aircraft.
The German Foreign Ministry said that it evacuated 311 individuals, both Germans and those from other nations. The ministry said that more flights would be planned “if conditions on the ground allow”
Italy and Spain also evacuated their citizens. The Spanish mission included citizens of Argentina, Colombia and Mexico as well as Venezuela, Poland and the Sudan.
Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, said that his government evacuated its diplomats
Turkey, a major player in Sudan, began evacuating Wad Medani by road on Sunday. However plans for one site in Khartoum have been postponed due to an “explosion”.
More than 150 people, mostly from Gulf countries as well as Egypt Pakistan and Canada, were evacuated to the Saudi Arabian Port of Jeddah.
A Sierra Leonean evacuee reported to AFP that long lines of United Nations buses and vehicles were seen departing Khartoum, heading east toward Port Sudan on Red Sea. They carried “citizens” from around the globe.
Clayson Monyela, a South African diplomat, said that the ongoing fighting made all routes to Khartoum “risky and hazardous”.
He told BBC that “the airport remains closed and the fighting continues.” “This is the reason we continue to demand a ceasefire so that those who wish to leave can do so safely and humanitarian aid can be provided.”
Many foreign students from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East have also been stuck in Khartoum – a city with six million residents.
The Nigerian Student Association in Sudan has called for an immediate rescue mission by the government, stating that many students have fled.
NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, said that Sudan is experiencing a “blackout” of the Internet, with connectivity levels at only 2% of normal, which could severely hinder coordination of aid for those trapped in Khartoum or other cities.
As a result of the power struggle, there has been heavy bombing in the capital with hundreds dead and thousands injured.
Many people in Khartoum, and elsewhere, have been cut off from electricity and food and water due to the near-constant bombing and shooting.
The ceasefires were not observed, even though they had been agreed upon by both sides. This included a three-day break to celebrate the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which began on Friday.
The US announced on Sunday that a disaster response unit would be sent into the region to “coordinate humanitarian assistance for those in need, both inside and outside Sudan.”
Samantha Power, from the US Agency for International Development(USAID), said that the team will work first out of Kenya and give priority to getting “lifesaving humanitarian aid to those in need.”
World Health Organization reports that the fighting has injured and killed thousands of people. The death toll may be higher than 400, because people are unable to access healthcare due to the violence.
The fighting has affected the western region Darfur, where the RSF was first formed.
UN warns that up to 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled Sudan for safety in Chad across the border.
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