Sudan's Ongoing Battles Spark Emergency Repatriations

25.08.2023 - 13:42 / skift.com

Sudan’s sudden slide into conflict between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group has stranded thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers, and countries are working to evacuate their nationals.

Several evacuation efforts appear to be via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which is directly located about 650 km (400 miles) northeast of Khartoum, but is about 800 km (500 miles) by road.

This is the status of some evacuations:

U.S. special forces evacuated all U.S. government personnel and their dependents, along with a few diplomats from other countries, from the embassy on Saturday using helicopters that flew from a base in Djibouti and refuelled in Ethiopia. They were not fired on during the evacuation.

The embassy has suspended operations due to security risks but local staff remain to support it.

Washington does not plan to coordinate an evacuation of other U.S. citizens in Sudan but is looking at options to help them leave.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday that British armed forces had staged a “complex and rapid evacuation” of all diplomatic staff and their families from Sudan.

He said the government was pursuing every avenue to end the bloodshed and ensure the safety of British nationals still in the country. The Foreign Office urged nationals to shelter in place and let it know where they were.

Britain’s defence minister said British troops undertook the rescue operation alongside the United States, France, and other unnamed allies.

France’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it was evacuating its diplomats and citizens.

However, the warring army and RSF each accused the other of attacking a French convoy. 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, and it had returned the convoy to its starting point.

France’s Foreign Ministry has not commented on the reported attack or injury.

Moscow’s ambassador in Khartoum told Russian state media that 140 out of roughly 300 Russians in Sudan had said they wanted to leave. Evacuation plans were made but were still impossible to implement because they involve crossing frontlines, the ambassador said. He added there were about 15 people, including a woman and child, stuck in a Russian Orthodox church close to heavy fighting in Khartoum.

Egypt said it had started evacuating citizens from Port Sudan and Wadi Halfa, in the north. It earlier urged nationals in Khartoum to shelter at home until the situation improved.

It said there needed to be a “meticulous, safe and organised” evacuation process for its 10,000 nationals in neighbouring Sudan to reach home.

It said one of its diplomats