2023-04-20 08:29:56
Precarious security situation
Will the German Bundeswehr get the Swiss out of Sudan?
Due to security concerns, German evacuation efforts have been halted for the time being. Meanwhile, the FDFA has announced that it is still “examining options” to bring Swiss people to safety on site.
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Fighting between the army and the paramilitary group RSF continues in Sudan.
AFP
In order to evacuate its citizens on site, Germany sent three transport planes on Wednesday evening. However, the mission had to be aborted due to safety concerns.
IMAGO/NurPhoto
At the moment, the Swiss foreign department only says that “possibilities are being examined”. Germany has announced that it will also evacuate people from other countries if possible.
IMAGO/Kevin Hackert
Around 100 Swiss nationals are currently believed to be in Sudan.
AFP
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In Sudan, there have been bloody clashes between the army and paramilitaries for days.
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A planned evacuation by the German government had to be called off, Switzerland has no concrete plans yet.
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It is possible that the around 100 Swiss people who are still in the country will now be evacuated with the Bundeswehr.
Fierce fighting continues in Sudan between the country’s armed forces and a paramilitary force. On the Fighting continued in the capital Khartoum on Wednesday further, as eyewitnesses wrote on Twitter. Artillery fire could also be heard in the capital late in the evening, and at least 185 people have already died.
«Also allow citizens of other countries to leave the country»
Meanwhile, there are still citizens of Western countries on site. A German evacuation attempt had to be canceled on Wednesday evening because the the precarious security situation on site, a landing of the three A400M transport planeswhich had already made its way to Sudan, made impossible.
Around 100 Swiss citizens who are currently still in Sudan are also waiting for rescue – but whether and in what form this will come is currently not publicly known. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said on Wednesday evening that they are currently examining “Possibilities for an evacuation of the remaining citizens». For security reasons, however, no details were disclosed.
The FDFA is currently keeping a low profile as to whether an evacuation on your own is even possible given the delicate security situation. During a recent visit to Portugal, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany would also try to allow citizens of other countries to leave the country in the event of a possible rescue operation.
German support was already available in Afghanistan
So will the Swiss ultimately be flown out of Sudan by Bundeswehr soldiers? Already at the Evacuation of embassy staff from the Afghan capital Kabul the Swiss workforce was first flown to the US embassy by a German helicopter and then flown out of the country on a US plane while the Taliban were at the gates of Kabul.
Switzerland without suitable aircraft
There is also a much more pragmatic reason why Switzerland would rely on German help for the evacuation: in contrast to Germany, the Swiss army has more no larger transport aircraft. The only transport aircraft in the Swiss fleet are smaller private jets, which are mainly used to transport high-ranking military personnel.
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