The governments of several countries are in a race to evacuate their diplomatic staff and citizens from Sudan, where fighting between opposing generals has been going on for the ninth consecutive day, reports the Associated Press.
Fierce fighting is taking place today in Omdurman, a city on the other side of the Nile from the capital Khartoum, citizens reported. The violence continues despite a declared ceasefire that is supposed to last through the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr.
Early today, US Special Forces quickly evacuated about 70 members of diplomatic staff from Khartoum to an undisclosed location in Ethiopia.
Although US officials said it was still too dangerous to carry out a coordinated mass evacuation of private citizens, several other countries rushed to get their citizens and diplomats out of the country.
British diplomats and their families were evacuated from Sudan in a "complex and rapid operation", British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced today.
Sunak said efforts were continuing to ensure the safety of British nationals remaining in Sudan, where a power struggle between the military and a powerful paramilitary group entered its second week on Sunday.
"The British armed forces carried out a complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan in the context of escalating violence and threats to the embassy staff," Sunak wrote on Twitter, France Press reports.
France, Greece, Turkey and other European countries announced today that they are organizing the evacuation of their embassy employees and other citizens along with some citizens of other allied countries. A spokeswoman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that France is conducting the operation with the help of European partners.
Greece's foreign minister said his country had sent a plane and special forces to its ally Egypt in preparation for the evacuation of 120 Greek and Cypriot nationals from Khartoum. Most of them took shelter in the Greek church in the capital in recent days, said Nikos Dendias.
The Netherlands has sent two air force Hercules C-13s and an Airbus A330 to Jordan in preparation for a possible rescue mission.
"We deeply sympathize with the Dutch in Sudan and will make every effort to evacuate people when and where possible," Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Olongren said.
Italy has sent military planes to Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden to prepare the evacuation of 140 Italians from Sudan, many of whom have already taken refuge in the embassy. Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani said that the crisis unit of the Ministry is in contact with the blocked citizens.
Turkey plans to evacuate its citizens from Sudan today, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, stating that they will evacuate by land via a third country, which was not specified.
According to reports, citizens of third countries, who requested Turkey's help, are included in the evacuation plans.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia announced that in cooperation with the relevant bodies of the UN, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, the evacuation of Serbian citizens from Sudan, i.e. Khartoum, began today. So far, 11 Serbian citizens have left in UN, UEA and Turkish convoys, the Ministry stated, adding that they are looking for a solution for the evacuation of the remaining citizens who have expressed their wish to be evacuated.
Fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the powerful Rapid Support Force (RSF) paramilitary group has paralyzed the international airport, destroyed several civilian planes and put at least one runway and other airports out of service across the country.
Traveling through land territory contested by warring parties proved dangerous. Khartoum is located about 840 kilometers from Port Sudan and the Red Sea.
However, some countries took the land route.
Saudi Arabia reported that it had successfully evacuated 157 people, including 91 Saudi citizens and citizens of other countries. State television broadcast footage of a large convoy traveling in cars and buses from Khartoum to Port Sudan, where a navy ship ferried them across the Red Sea to the Saudi port of Jeddah.
Thousands of Sudanese have fled the fighting in Khartoum and other hotspots, according to UN agencies. At least 20.000 people have left their homes in the western Darfur region for neighboring Chad.
Non-governmental organizations say that the capital Khartoum has become like a ghost town, that half of the population has fled, and the rest are looking for a way to escape.
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