The Nepal Weekly 
April 29, 2023
Governments from various countries have evacuated diplomats and citizens from Sudan’s capital as fierce fighting continues to rage in Khartoum. The US and UK, on Sunday, announced they had flown diplomats out of the war torn country.
France, Germany, Italy and Spain have also been evacuating diplomats and other foreigners.
A vicious power struggle between the national army and a powerful paramilitary force has led to violence across Sudan for over a week.
US authorities informed that they had airlifted around 100 people with three Chinook helicopters on Sunday morning in a “fast and clean” operation.
The US embassy in Khartoum has been shut down, and it said on its official tweeter account that it is not safe enough for the government to evacuate private US citizens.
The UK government managed to airlift British diplomats and their families out of Sudan in what was termed as a “complex and rapid” operation. Foreign Minister James Cleverly said options to evacuate the remaining British citizens in Sudan were “severely limited”.
More than 1,000 European Union citizens had been evacuated from Sudan, according to an update from the EU’s foreign policy chief on Monday.
Individual countries have given updates on their evacuation operations:
• French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that a plane had reached Djibouti carrying French nationals and others on Sunday – and the government said another evacuation took place on Monday, taking the total number of people evacuated to 388.
• A handful of Dutch citizens left Khartoum on a French plane, and another with people from the Netherlands on board left early on Monday morning
• Germany’s foreign ministry said it had evacuated 311 people, including German nationals and others. It said more flights were planned “if the situation on the ground allows”
• Italy and Spain have also evacuated citizens – the Spanish mission included citizens from Argentina, Colombia, Ireland, Portugal, Poland, Mexico, Venezuela and Sudan itself
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government had evacuated its diplomatic staff
• Turkey – a key player in Sudan – began evacuation efforts by road from the southern city of Wad Medani on Sunday, but plans from one site in Khartoum were postponed after a nearby “explosion”
Earlier, more than 150 people – mostly people from Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Canada – were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah.
Long lines of United Nations vehicles and buses were seen leaving Khartoum on Sunday, heading east towards Port Sudan on the Red Sea and carrying “citizens from all over the world”, a Sierra Leonean evacuee told an international news agency.
South African diplomat Clayson Monyela said ongoing fighting meant that all routes out of Khartoum were “risky and dangerous”.
“The airport remains closed, the fighting continues,” he told media. “This is why we continue to call for a ceasefire to allow for a safe passage for those who want to get out and to allow for humanitarian aid.”
There have been desperate calls for help from many foreign students – from Africa, Asia and the Middle East – who are also stuck in Khartoum, a city of some six million people.
A Nigerian student association in Sudan called on its government to conduct an “immediate rescue mission”, saying many students waiting to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said Sudan was in the midst of an “internet blackout”, with connectivity at 2% of ordinary levels, which could seriously hinder the coordination of help for those trapped in Khartoum and other cities.
