JEDDAH: More than 150 people from various nations reached the safety of Saudi Arabia on Saturday in the first announced evacuation of civilians from Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries entered a second week following a brief lull.
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.
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.
Fighting has left hundreds dead and thousands wounded while survivors cope with shortages of electricity and food.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry announced the “safe arrival” of 91 of its citizens along with nationals from Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada and Burkina Faso.
It added that diplomats and international officials were among those who arrived in the evacuation operation carried out by the Royal Saudi Navy with the support of various branches of the armed forces.
US President Joe Biden thanked the Kingdom, Djibouti and Ethiopia for facilitating the plan to get US personnel out of Khartoum.
“I thank Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia, which were critical to the success of our operation,” he said in a statement on Saturday, calling for a ceasefire to allow “unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the people of Sudan”.
The Saudi ministry said in a statement: “The Kingdom worked to provide all the basic needs of foreign nationals in preparation for their departure to their countries.
“The first evacuation vessel from Sudan has arrived, carrying 50 (Saudi) citizens and a number of nationals from friendly countries,” the official Al-Ekhbariyah television said.
The first boat docked at the Red Sea port of Jeddah where the four other ships carrying 108 people from 11 different countries was expected to arrive later from Sudan, the broadcaster said.
Al-Ekhbariyah carried footage of large vessels arriving in Jeddah’s port. 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 Saudi state TV.
A convoy of vehicles carried the evacuees to Port Sudan from where they boarded ships to Jeddah, according to the Saudi broadcaster.
Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji received the first batch of citizens and foreign nationals, upon their arrival today at King Faisal Naval Base in the Western Fleet in Jeddah on board the His Majesty King Jubail ship.
He said the journey was long, starting from Khartoum, passing through a number of regions in Sudan until reaching Port Sudan, and was done in cooperation with government agencies in the Kingdom, praising the role of the Ministry of Defense that implemented the plan.
“We all celebrate the return of our sons and the sons of brotherly and friendly countries to the Kingdom Saudi Arabia, which coincided with the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr,” he said.
Those evacuated expressed their thanks and appreciation to the Saudi government and the concerned authorities in the Kingdom for their efforts to secure their transportation and facilitate their arrival procedures to the Kingdom.
Earlier on Saturday, the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry announced that Saudi Arabia will start arranging the evacuation of its citizens and several nationals from other “brotherly and friendly” countries from Sudan as clashes intensify despite an Eid truce.
In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry said the evacuated people will be flown to Saudi Arabia.
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