Foreigners Stranded as Conflict Between Sudan’s Army, Paramilitary Group Escalates
As the conflict between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), intensifies, thousands of foreigners have been stranded in Sudan, including diplomats and aid workers. Several countries are working to evacuate their nationals, with some opting for air evacuation, while others are leaving through Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 420 miles northeast of Khartoum.
Britain, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United States have all been involved in efforts to evacuate their citizens from Sudan over the past few days.
On Sunday, US special forces evacuated all US government personnel, along with a few diplomats from other countries, from the embassy using helicopters that flew from a base in Djibouti and refueled in Ethiopia.
Saudi Arabia took 91 Saudis and 67 people from other countries out from Port Sudan by naval ship to Jeddah, across the Red Sea.
The British armed forces also evacuated all diplomatic staff and their families from Sudan.
Canada has suspended its operations in Sudan and has extracted its diplomats.
Egypt evacuated 436 of its nationals out of about 10,000 in neighboring Sudan.
France evacuated around 100 people and said that operations would resume on Monday.
The German air force has flown out 311 people so far.
Italy evacuated 140 Italians along with around 60 people from other countries.
Jordan evacuated 343 people, including Jordanian nationals and residents of the Palestinian territories, Iraq, Syria, and Germany, who had departed Sudan.
Libya’s embassy in Khartoum said 83 Libyans, including diplomats and their families, students, and airline and bank employees, had reached Port Sudan for onward travel home.
Nigeria has asked for a safe corridor to evacuate 5,500 nationals, mostly students.
Spain evacuated diplomatic personnel and citizens, as well as others from Europe and Latin America.
Sweden evacuated all its embassy staff in Khartoum, their families, and an unspecified number of other Swedes to nearby Djibouti.
The Sudanese army and RSF have each accused the other of attacking a convoy of French evacuees. The army said the RSF had fired on the convoy, wounding a French national. The RSF said it had been attacked by aircraft during the evacuation, leading to a French national being wounded. France’s Foreign Ministry has not commented.
Sudan’s army accused the RSF of attacking and looting a Qatari Embassy convoy heading to Port Sudan. Neither the RSF nor Qatar have commented on that.
