Escalating Violence in Sudan: Evacuation Efforts Underway for Foreign Nationals and Diplomats

2023-04-22 19:32:39

The Sudanese army said, on Saturday, that it had agreed to help evacuate foreign nationals, as sporadic gunfire and air strikes were heard in parts of Khartoum, despite pledges by both sides of the conflict in Sudan to a 3-day ceasefire.

On the ground.. raging battles

• There have been no indications so far that either side can achieve a quick victory, or that it is ready to step back and engage in dialogue, according to analysts.
• The army has an air force, but the RSF is heavily deployed in urban areas, including around major facilities in central Khartoum.
• Nevertheless, Al-Burhan said in media statements, on Saturday, that “we must all sit down as Sudanese and find the appropriate way out, in order to restore hope and restore life.”

The World Health Organization said on Friday that 413 people have been killed and 3,551 injured since the fighting broke out. The death toll includes at least 5 aid workers, in a country dependent on food aid.

Hospitals damaged

• A United Nations statement on the humanitarian situation said, on Saturday, that “thieves seized at least 10 World Food Program vehicles and 6 other food trucks, after storming the organization’s offices and warehouses in Nyala, South Darfur.”.

SOS via social media

• People are crying out on social media, asking for medical help, transportation to hospitals, and prescription medication.
• Any lull in the fighting on Saturday would accelerate the pace of desperate Khartoum residents fleeing the capital, after spending days in their homes or neighborhoods under the threat of bombing and the movements of fighters in the streets.

evacuations

• A statement by the General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces said that Al-Burhan agreed to provide the necessary assistance to secure the evacuations of nationals and diplomatic missions of various countries.
• The army said in a statement that the United States, Britain, France and China would evacuate diplomats and other nationals from Khartoum, adding that it “expects to start immediately.”“.
• Al-Burhan said that the army “provided safe passages,” but the situation is still problematic at some airports, including Khartoum and Nyala airports, the largest cities in Darfur..

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