Foreign governments are racing to evacuate their citizens from Sudan as clashes between rival military factions continue in the capital Khartoum. The ongoing fighting has led to a humanitarian crisis and trapped millions of residents inside their homes without access to basic necessities such as water and food. The conflict broke out on April 15 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, resulting in at least 420 deaths and extensive destruction of property.
As the situation deteriorated over the weekend, foreign governments began landing aircraft and organizing convoys in Khartoum to evacuate their nationals. The United States deployed special forces using MH-47 Chinook helicopters to evacuate fewer than 100 people from the battle-stricken capital. Similarly, the UK successfully carried out a “complex and rapid evacuation” of British diplomats and their families, while Germany and France announced that they had begun evacuating their nationals and those from other countries. Other European nations such as Italy, the Netherlands, and Greece also expressed their intent to conduct rescue efforts.
A French plane carrying around 100 people of multiple nationalities landed in Djibouti, with a second flight expected to depart Sunday evening. Meanwhile, long convoys of UN vehicles and buses transported citizens from all over the world out of Khartoum heading east to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Turkey attempted to rescue its citizens via road from Wad Madani but had to postpone the effort due to explosions near a mosque designated as the assembly area.
Italy’s air force conducted an evacuation operation using a C-130 that left Khartoum with evacuees and landed Sunday night at an air base in Djibouti. Another plane carrying Italy’s ambassador and military personnel involved in the evacuation was expected to arrive later in the night. Spain also evacuated around 100 people, including citizens from Portugal, Italy, Poland, Ireland, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and Argentina. Jordan brought back 343 Jordanian evacuees from Port Sudan via four planes that landed at Amman military airport, while Egypt urged its citizens to head to consular offices in Port Sudan and Wadi Halfa in the north for evacuation.
Saudi Arabia successfully evacuated 157 people, including 91 Saudi nationals and citizens of other countries. A large convoy of cars and buses took them from Khartoum to Port Sudan, where a navy ship took them to the Saudi port of Jeddah. Ghana, India, Libya, and Russia also confirmed their intent to evacuate their citizens. Russia’s Ambassador to Sudan, Andrey Chernovol, stated that nearly all Russian citizens in Khartoum had been moved to the Russian embassy building, and his team was exploring all possible ways of evacuating the remaining citizens.
The international community remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens caught in the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The evacuation operations will continue until all foreign nationals are safely out of harm’s way.
