The US and British armed forces have evacuated embassy staff from Sudan, and other countries are also rushing to bring their citizens to safety as fighting continues in Khartoum, writes Reuters.
Clashes between the army and Sudanese paramilitary groups that began a week ago have led to a humanitarian crisis, with more than 400 people dead and millions of Sudanese without access to basic needs. Several foreigners were also injured. Local residents are scrambling to leave the city in chaos, and other countries have begun organizing emergency flights and convoys to evacuate their citizens from the battle zone.
Both warring sides have accused each other of attacking the French convoy, and both say one French citizen was injured. The French Foreign Ministry, which previously reported the evacuation of diplomatic staff and citizens, had no comment. France has reported that a plane has left Djibouti with about a hundred people, including representatives of the European Union delegation in Khartoum. Another evacuation flight is planned.
The army attacked paramilitary forces in a Qatari convoy en route to Port Sudan. Iraqi citizens have also been killed in the clashes, and Egypt reports one diplomat injured. The evacuation of foreign students has given local residents the feeling that none of the parties concerned care about the safety of the Sudanese. It has been observed that
the army and paramilitary forces are helping to evacuate foreign nationals while no one cares about the locals.
Sudan’s army said it had cooperated with the US, Britain, Germany, and France to help carry out evacuation operations from an air base north of Khartoum. Qatari and Jordanian nationals evacuated from Port Sudan.
Canada has also evacuated its diplomats and is trying to help local personnel. Egypt, Nigeria, and Libya also plan to repatriate their nationals.
Sudan’s sudden plunge into hostilities has derailed plans to restore civilian rule and brought the already impoverished country to the brink of a humanitarian crisis, risking a wider conflict with the involvement of other countries.
Outbreaks of violence are also reported in Darfur. Countries, especially around the capital, are fighting and infrastructure is being destroyed, and warehouses and factories are being looted by local residents in desperation. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Gebreyesus, has informed that there have been several attacks on healthcare institutions. He pointed out that medics often cannot get to those who need medical help, and it is impossible for the injured to get to hospitals.
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