Khartoum, Sudan – On April 15, 2023, a violent confrontation erupted across Sudan, particularly in the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region, between competing factions of the country’s military government. Conflict, which is between the forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and those of his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
After these clashes between the army and a paramilitary group enter their second week, the real-time network data reported a “near-total collapse” of internet connectivity in Sudan, with national connectivity levels reduced to just 2 percent of ordinary levels. Tweeted by NetBlocks, a London-based organization that monitors web and internet connectivity access across the world.
The ongoing fighting has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and left thousands injured, while survivors are struggling to cope with shortages of food and electricity. As last reported, due to this conflict the death toll has surpassed 420, with over 3,700 individuals injured.
First group of Netherland citizens evacuated from Sudan
According to the Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, the initial batch of Dutch citizens has been successfully evacuated from Sudan. He stated that a small number of Dutch individuals were able to depart from Khartoum on a French aircraft in a complex operation carried out with the cooperation of France, Germany, and other nations.
Hoekstra expressed optimism that a larger group would be evacuated on Sunday evening, using the two military planes that the Netherlands dispatched to Jordan last week to aid with the evacuation efforts.
The Dutch government revealed in a letter to parliament on Sunday that till now, roughly 150 Dutch citizens have requested evacuation.
As of the latest news, the Netherlands has successfully evacuated a small number of Dutch citizens from Khartoum via a French plane with the help of France, Germany, and other countries. The Dutch government has sent two military planes to Jordan to aid in the evacuation process, hoping to evacuate a larger group on Sunday night.
In his Sunday prayer at St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis urged for an immediate halt to the ongoing violence in Sudan, emphasizing that the situation in the country is still grave.
The Pope spoke about the recent happenings in the Northeast African nation, urging for peace and stability.
Which all countries have evacuating their nationals from Sudan?
Many nations, including Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have initiated evacuation procedures to bring back their diplomatic personnel and citizens from Sudan.
The evacuation efforts are believed to be carried out through Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which is situated around 650 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of Khartoum, but it is about 800 kilometers (500 miles) by road.
Latest on Evacuation:
Switzerland has shut down its embassy in Khartoum and evacuated its staff and their families, as per the announcement made by the Swiss foreign ministry on Twitter. The decision was taken in response to the growing unrest and violence in Sudan.
The Swedish government has agreed to dispatch up to 400 armed troops to assist with the evacuation operations in Sudan. This deployment is part of Sweden’s contribution to the European Union’s mission to evacuate European and other foreign citizens from the country.
Spain has successfully evacuated around one hundred people from Sudan, including 30 Spanish nationals and 70 others from Europe and Latin America. The Spanish government announced this on Sunday in response to the deteriorating security situation in Sudan.
South Korea has also taken measures to evacuate its citizens from Sudan, dispatching a military aircraft to bring back 25 Korean nationals.
Kuwait confirmed that all of its citizens who wished to return home have arrived safely in Jeddah. Kuwait, like other nations, has been actively engaged in the evacuation of its nationals from Sudan.
Jordan has sent four military planes to evacuate around 260 of its citizens from Sudan. On Saturday, the Jordanian government announced that it was also arranging for the evacuation of its citizens from Port Sudan, which is located around 800 kilometers away from Khartoum.
Germany – According to a military source, a German air force plane carrying 101 evacuees from Sudan arrived in Berlin early Monday. The plane had transported the individuals from Al Azrak base in Jordan, which serves as a stopover point for German military planes flying from Sudan to Berlin. As per the same source, the German military has evacuated 313 people from Sudan up until now.
