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Countries Evacuating Nationals, Diplomats From Sudan

© Nariman El-MoftyPeople wait outside Khartoum International Airport, in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. A Sudanese official said Tuesday, that security forces have contained an armed protest from within the security apparatus, amid reports of unrest. Earlier Tuesday, workers had told travelers at the airport in Sudan's capital that the facility will be closed temporarily.
People wait outside Khartoum International Airport, in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. A Sudanese official said Tuesday, that security forces have contained an armed protest from within the security apparatus, amid reports of unrest. Earlier Tuesday, workers had told travelers at the airport in Sudan's capital that the facility will be closed temporarily.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.04.2023
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A number of countries launched operations to evacuate their citizens and diplomatic corps from Sudan on Sunday as the local parties to conflict committed to a three-day religious ceasefire.
All Italian nationals who had wished to leave Sudan amid the hostilities have been evacuated, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
"After a day of anxious waiting, all our compatriots in Sudan who have asked to leave have been evacuated. There are also foreign nationals with them. Italy leaves no one behind," Meloni said in a statement on Sunday night.
The prime minister thanked all the government officials and ministers, as well as the security services, who made the operation possible.
"Also on this occasion, I want to renew my appeal for an end to the war, for the opening of negotiations that lead to a civilian government, Sudan needs peace," Meloni said.
Earlier, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the Sky TG24 broadcaster that around 19 Italian tourists had been evacuated from the northeastern African nation, while around 140 Italian citizens remain in Sudan's capital of Khartoum. Italian air force jets are on standby in Djibouti, but the evacuation's timeframe depends on the course of the conflict, he added.
On the same day, Italian broadcaster RaiNews24 reported that 107 Italian citizens left Sudan on the Italian C-130 aircraft en route from Khartoum to Djibouti. Later, the second C-130 is also expected to evacuate the rest of the Italians, as well as Swiss citizens, employees of the Apostolic Nunciature and, possibly, some citizens of other EU countries, the report added.
Spain followed suit and decided to evacuate around 50 people, including its own citizens and nationals of other European and Latin American countries, from Sudan amid the ongoing fighting, the Efe news agency reported, citing sources. Spain's military transport planes have been stationed in Djibouti for two days, the report said.
In Sweden, the parliament gave the go-ahead on Sunday morning to the government's plan to send a military detachment to Sudan to help Swedish citizens and diplomats flee the country, the Sweden Posts outlet reported. The mandate allows for a contingent of up to 400 servicemen, although in practice it will be much smaller, possibly consisting of under 150 people, the report said.
President Joe Biden speaks at Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, April 12, 2023.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.04.2023
Americas
Biden Confirms US Forces Evacuated Embassy Personnel From Sudanese Capital
The United Kingdom has already completed its evacuation operation, which it carried out together with the United States, France and other allies, the UK defense ministry said, adding that 1,200 UK troops participated.
"UK armed forces have completed a complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan, amid a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff. I pay tribute to the commitment of our diplomats and bravery of the military personnel who carried out this difficult operation," UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak added.
Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariana Wernerova said that Prague was looking for opportunities to evacuate four of its citizens from Sudan.
"Several international evacuation convoys are being formed in Sudan. Our colleagues in Cairo and Brussels, as well as us in Prague, are now working to ensure that four Czech citizens join these convoys," Wernerova said.
Canada's foreign minister also said it had evacuated its diplomatic staff and suspended the embassy's work until the security situation in Sudan improves.
Lebanon said it had evacuated about 60 of its citizens from Sudan.
“The Lebanese embassy in Sudan organized a convoy to evacuate about 60 Lebanese people to Lebanon by sea,” the Lebanese government's press office said on Twitter.
Egypt also started evacuating its nationals from safe districts of Khartoum in coordination with the Sudanese authorities, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said. The country's embassies in Khartoum and Port Sudan, as well as the consulate in Wadi Halfa, are in touch with the Egyptians who are being evacuated, the ministry added.
Later in the day, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that 436 of its citizens were evacuated from Sudan.
"Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that as part of the country's efforts to implement the evacuation plan for Egyptian citizens in Sudan, 436 citizens were evacuated from Sudan by land today, April 23, in coordination with the Sudanese authorities," the ministry said.
France has evacuated almost 100 people from Sudan, the BFMTV broadcaster reported, citing the country's foreign and defense ministries.
The report noted that the first French aircraft took off from Khartoum and was due to land in Djibouti at 16:00 GMT. Another 100 people will be evacuated soon on the second plane, the report added.
Serbia also began the evacuation of more than 20 of its citizens from Sudan in cooperation with the United Nations, the UAE, and Turkey, the Serbian Foreign Ministry said.
"The Serbian Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with the UN, UAE, and Turkey, today, April 23, began the evacuation of citizens of Serbia from Sudan ... Four of our citizens went with a UN convoy. Six of our citizens were evacuated by the UAE convoy and one more of our citizens joined the convoy organized by Turkey," the ministry said, adding that the government will continue to make efforts to evacuate the remaining Serbian citizens from Sudan.
Посольство Российской Федерации в Республике Судан  - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.04.2023
World
Nearly All Russians Evacuated From Khartoum Conflict Zone to Russian Embassy
Belarusian Ambassador to Sudan Sergei Terentiev said that the timing of the evacuation of 20 Belarusian citizens from Sudan would depend on the security guarantees provided by the Sudanese side.
"In this case, the key point is security. As soon as guarantees are not given in words, but we really see that the evacuation is carried out safely, including by other countries, then it will be possible to make a decision," Terentiev told Belarusian CTV broadcaster.
A number of countries have been evacuating their nationals and diplomats from Sudan in cooperation with other African and Middle Eastern countries for land and air transit. The United States has evacuated its embassy staff from Khartoum but not regular US nationals. Russia has evacuated its nationals in Sudan's conflict areas to its embassy in Khartoum.
On April 15, violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese regular army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, with the epicenter in Khartoum. Government forces accused the RSF of mutiny and launched airstrikes against their bases. Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, issued a decree disbanding the RSF. The sides have agreed to a three-day truce starting Friday for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
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