Countries rush to evacuate citizens from Sudan as conflict enters second week

Several nations have accelerated their effort to evacuate foreign nationals from conflict-ridden Sudan as the war raged unabated in different parts of the country. Violence erupted in the country between forces loyal to country's chief of paramilitary forces Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and those of Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that reportedly claimed lives of hundreds and left thousands wounded. Both al-Burhan and Daglo seized power in a 2021 coup.

The United States and the United Kingdom on Sunday announced that they completed a ‘complex and rapid’ evacuation of their diplomats and other expats from the country. Similarly, other nations have also carried out their evacuations.

Also read: IAF aircraft, navy ship positioned for Sudan evacuation, says MEA

Many foreign students from Africa, Middle East and Asia stuck in the capital city of Khartoum are also making desperate calls for help to the international community. However, the internet connectivity in the country has reportedly collapsed, hindering the coordination to help those trapped in different cities.

Countries that have successfully evacuated diplomats and expats from Sudan:

Saudi Arabia

Over 150 people, including foreign diplomats and officials, have been evacuated from Sudan and taken to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The rescue operation was carried by the Saudi naval forces along with other branches of the army. Foreign nationals from 12 countries including India are among those who have been rescued, according to Saudi foreign ministry. Citizens of other countries include Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Phillipines, Canada and Burkina Faso.

United States

Sudan's Rapid Support Force (RSF) on Sunday said it had ‘coordinated' American troops to evacuate diplomats and their families from the country as the paramilitary forces pledged ‘full cooperation with all diplomatic missions, and providing all necessary means of protection, and ensuring their safe return to their countries’.

The US embassy in Khartoum has now been closed, according to official tweet, which also added that it not safe enough for the government to rescue private US citizens.

Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday said all diplomats from his country have been brought to safety and now suspended its operation in Sudan. “We’ve temporarily suspended Canada’s operations in Sudan. Our diplomats are safe – they have been extracted and are working from outside the country – and we are looking at every possible option to support our locally-engaged staff," he said.

United Kingdom

The UK managed to airlift their diplomats and their families to safety in what was described as a ‘complex and rapid’ operation. According to BBC, country's foreign minister James Cleverly said scope to evacuate the remaining British nationals were ‘severely limited’.

“UK armed forces have completed a complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan, amid a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a tweet.

European countries

French President Emmanuel Macron also confirmed the evacuation of its citizens along with few Dutch citizens in a place from Djibouti. German army said a plane carrying 101 people on board had left from Sudan. Similarly, Italy and Spain also evacuated their citizens along with other foreign nationals from Argentina, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, Ireland, Venezuela, Poland and Sudan.

According to sources, as quoted by AFP, a six-bus convoy carrying German and French citizens was making a journey of around 800 km to northeast of Khartoum to Port Sudan.

(With agency inputs)