Sudan: Mass evacuations continue as thousands seek refuge in Saudi Arabia
Evacuations from Sudan to Saudi Arabia has continued on Sunday, as the violence in the country entered its third week.
The Saudi foreign ministry announced that a total of 81 individuals, including 45 Saudis and 36 Pakistani nationals, were airlifted from Sudan on a plane belonging to the Saudi air force and arrived at the King Abdullah Air Base in Jeddah.
Adding to the numbers, an Indian military aircraft carrying 135 people from Sudan also landed at the King Abdullah Air Base, according to Al Arabiya’s report on Sunday afternoon. Additionally, an Indian ship carrying 288 people arrived at Jeddah Islamic Port, as reported by Al Arabiya.
Later in the day, Saudi state TV al-Ekhbariya revealed that a ship had docked at King Faisal Naval Base, carrying 52 individuals from various countries including Oman and the United States.
In total, the Saudi foreign ministry disclosed that the Kingdom had successfully evacuated 5,197 people from Sudan, representing 100 different nationalities. Among those evacuated were 184 Saudi citizens.
The evacuation efforts were prompted by the clashes that erupted on April 15 between forces loyal to Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). With the escalating violence, foreign countries have been working diligently to extract their citizens from the crisis-hit capital of Khartoum.
The ongoing conflict has tragically resulted in over 500 deaths and has displaced thousands of people, causing widespread suffering and a pressing need for humanitarian aid in the region.