Saudi Arabia begins evacuation as two 24-hour ceasefires ignored

TDT | agencies 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com    

More than 150 people from various nations reached the safety of Saudi Arabia yesterday in the first announced evacuation of civilians from Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries entered a second week following a brief lull.

“The first evacuation vessel from Sudan has arrived, carrying (Saudi) citizens and a number of nationals from friendly countries,” the state-run Al-Ekhbariya television said, showing warships near the dock.

The vessel berthed at the Red Sea port of Jeddah where four other ships carrying 108 people from 11 different countries were expected later from Sudan, the broadcaster said.

It also released a video showing women and children carrying Saudi flags on board one of the ships.

Those who have arrived in Jeddah include the crew of a Saudi passenger plane that was hit by gunfire while preparing to take off from Khartoum at the start of the fighting on April 15, according to Al-Ekhbariya.

A convoy of vehicles carried the evacuees to Port Sudan from where they boarded ships to Jeddah, according to the broadcaster.

Foreign nations have said they are preparing for the potential evacuation of thousands more of their nationals, even though Sudan’s main airport remains closed.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry announced the “safe arrival” of 91 of its citizens along with nationals from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philipines, Canada and Burkina Faso.

As the kingdom’s naval forces transported the civilians, including diplomats and international officials, across the Red Sea from Port Sudan to Jeddah, fighting resumed in Sudan’s capital Khartoum after a temporary truce saw gunfire momentarily die down on Friday, the first day of Eid al-Fitr.

Earlier yesterday, Sudan’s army said its chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had received calls from leaders of multiple countries to “facilitate and guarantee safety for evacuating citizens and diplomatic missions”.

Burhan told Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV that the army was in control of “all airports, except for Khartoum airport” and one in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.