Sudanese Evacuation: 150+ Civilians Rescued Amidst Ongoing Conflict

More than 150 people, including foreign diplomats and officials, have been evacuated from Sudan’s battle-scarred capital, Khartoum, in the first official evacuation of civilians since the fighting began.

Sudan’s naval forces carried out the operation with the support of other branches of the army, rescuing the individuals and ferrying them to the port city of Jeddah on Saturday.

The evacuees comprised 91 Saudi citizens and 66 nationals from twelve other countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso.

Soldiers at the port greeted them with sweets in honor of Eid, while women and children holding Saudi flags were seen disembarking from one of the ships.

The evacuation also included the crew of a Saudi passenger plane that was hit by gunfire while preparing to take off from Khartoum at the start of the fighting on April 15.

The violence erupted between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and those of his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The United States, Britain, France, and China are planning to airlift their nationals out of Khartoum using military jets.

The clashes between al-Burhan’s and Daglo’s forces have left hundreds dead and thousands injured, with much of the fighting taking place in Khartoum.

The conflict began when the former allies seized power in a 2021 coup but later fell out in a bitter power struggle. While the situation in Khartoum remains tense, the successful evacuation of the foreign nationals is a promising sign of progress towards restoring peace in the region.

The Saudi embassy in Sudan has been working tirelessly to assist its citizens and other foreign nationals in the country throughout the crisis, coordinating with the Sudanese government and other international partners to ensure their safe passage out of the country.

For the evacuees who arrived in Jeddah, the nightmare is finally over, and they can begin to rebuild their lives in safety.

However, many others remain trapped in Khartoum, and the international community must continue to work together to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict.