Countries scramble to evacuate their diplomats and citizens from Sudan

Foreign nations are rushing to get their citizens out of Sudan as rival military factions battle in the capital Khartoum where millions of residents are trapped inside their homes, many running low on water and food.

The eruption of fighting on April 15 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group has triggered a humanitarian crisis, killed at least 420 people and left behind charred tanks, gutted buildings and shops that have been looted and torched.

As people attempted to flee the chaos over the weekend, foreign governments began landing aircraft and organising convoys in Khartoum to pull out their nationals.

The United States said special forces using MH-47 Chinook helicopters swept into Sudan’s battle-stricken capital from a US base in Djibouti, spending just one hour on the ground to bring out fewer than 100 people.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Twitter on Sunday that members of his country’s armed forces had completed a “complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan”.

Germany and France announced Sunday that they had begun evacuating their nationals and those from other countries. Other European countries, including Italy, the Netherlands and Greece, also said they were planning rescue efforts.

A French plane carrying about 100 people of multiple nationalities “landed in Djibouti”, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, with a second flight of another 100 people expected to leave Sunday evening.

Long convoys of UN vehicles and buses were seen leaving Khartoum heading east to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, 850km (530 miles) away by road, carrying “citizens from all over the world”, according to one Sierra Leonean evacuee.

One South African national trapped in Sudan said the conflict-ridden country has suffered a “near-total” internet blackout.Speaking to News24 Ramraj said there were a few expats in his building who are all trying to get out.

“We have just received a request for a meeting point, which is a two-and-a-half-hour walk, from where we are because we cannot get transportation.For us to leave the building is impossible, because there are gunshots everywhere. There are about 10 dead bodies lying outside of our building, that’s how bad it is,” he said.

He added that they were running out of food, supplies and even power.

“We haven’t had power since Wednesday, we rely on generator power for two hours a day, just to keep the water pumps running and essentials, to charge our phones. We are in survival mode now,” Ramraj said.

Last week Tuesday Zambian government said that it was closely monitoring the conflicts in Sudan to ensure the safety of its citizens.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kakubo said there were about 30 known Zambians residing in various cities in Sudan.

The Zambians include eight security officers on peacekeeping missions, six university students and 16 employees of various international organizations including the United Nations, said Kakubo in a statement.

Conflicts emerged in Sudan on Saturday 15 th April. As of last Tuesday four of the Zambians had left Sudan for a safer destination with the help of their employers, Kakubo said, adding that the Zambian embassy in Ethiopia, which oversees Sudan, is in constant touch with the citizens still in Sudan.