The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Monday that the government’s plan to evacuate Pakistanis stranded in war-torn Sudan was a success as 427 nationals reached Port Sudan for repatriation by special flights.
According to the statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was personally monitoring the emergency evacuation plan for Pakistani citizens during the last 72 hours.
The PMO added that the evicted Pakistanis who were being brought back to Pakistan through special flights were provided accommodation and food by the government.
Diplomatic missions of Pakistan and other countries in the region were assisting Pakistan in the withdrawal process.
The Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar, officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ambassador of Pakistan to Sudan.
He particularly appreciated the military authorities and other concerned persons for their skill and duty in making an effective evacuation plan and its successful implementation.
He thanked Air Chief Marshal Zahid Ahmed Babar Sidhu and Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum for their extraordinary efforts in the evacuation process which involved many challenges and dangers.
Pakistani nationals were evacuated from safe havens by government officials and were being transferred from Khartoum in small groups to safer locations.
The Prime Minister thanked the leadership of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt for providing support for the evacuation of Pakistani citizens.
The protection measures of Pakistanis trapped in Sudan were being continuously monitored and the Pakistani embassy was also in constant contact with them.
The embassy has also set up a helpline where stranded Pakistanis can contact for any help or guidance.
This will be the second batch of Pakistanis to be expelled from the country as an unknown number of Pakistanis left Khartoum in an operation organized by Saudi Arabia last week.
Humanitarian crisis
A sudden outbreak of violence between the army and the well-armed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on April 15 triggered a humanitarian crisis and killed 420 people.
With millions of Sudanese without access to basic services and trapped in their homes, thousands of foreign diplomats, aid workers, students and their families found themselves trapped in a war zone last week.
Fighter jets have bombed the capital, the main airport has become the epicenter of fighting and artillery barrages have made movement in and out of one of Africa’s largest cities unsafe. Diplomats were targeted in the attacks, and at least five aid workers were killed.
Despite the wider implications of the conflict, as well as continued pressure from countries concerned with the safety of their own citizens, both sides did not adhere to a temporary ceasefire.
But the fighting calmed enough over the weekend that the US evacuated embassy staff via military helicopter, triggering a rush of evacuations from other countries.
At least two convoys involved in the evacuation were attacked, one carrying Qatari embassy staff, and another carrying French nationals, one of whom was injured.
France and Germany said on Monday they had evacuated about 700 people without disclosing their nationalities. A German Air Force plane landed in Berlin on Monday morning carrying the evacuation.
Several countries sent military aircraft from Djibouti to evacuate people from the capital, while other operations transported people by convoy to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) by road from Khartoum. ) away. From there, some have boarded ships and gone to Saudi Arabia.
Indonesia said more than 500 of its nationals had been transferred to the port so far, and were awaiting transport across the Red Sea to Jeddah.
China, Denmark, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden also said they had evacuated citizens, while Japan said it was preparing to send an evacuation team from Djibouti.
A convoy of about 65 vehicles carrying about 700 international UN, NGO and embassy staff and their dependents left Khartoum for Port Sudan as part of the evacuation, a diplomatic source said.
The evacuation of international staff from the western Darfur region, where fighting has intensified, is also underway, with some heading to Chad and others to South Sudan, the sources said.
Fighting in Sudan has closed most hospitals and cut off water and electricity supplies. The deaths of aid workers, including three from the World Food Programme, have forced the UN agency to halt its operations in the country, where a quarter of its people depend on food aid.
The army and the RSF launched a joint coup in 2021, but four years after the overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, negotiations to merge the two groups and form a civilian government failed.
Their rivalry raises the risk of a wider conflict that could draw in outside powers.
In addition to the capital, people have fled clashes in several areas, including three Darfur states, Blue Nile state on the border of Ethiopia and South Sudan, and North Kordofan state southwest of Khartoum, according to a UN update on Monday. It is reported to be.
