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Swiss citizens also on site – Sudan’s army allows evacuations of foreigners – News

22 April 2023

In Sudan, the army has approved the evacuation of foreign nationals, news agencies report.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) confirms to SRF that measures are being examined on the basis of various scenarios.
Earlier, fighting between rival military units continued after a brief overnight ceasefire.
Khartoum was bombed again on Saturday morning, journalists reported.

Sudan’s de facto President and Army Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has approved the evacuation of citizens and diplomatic officials from the embattled country.

An army spokesman said in a statement the United States, Britain, France and China would begin evacuating the capital Khartoum using military transport planes “in the coming hours.” Al-Burhan has therefore promised to “facilitate and guarantee” the evacuation and to provide the countries “with the necessary support to ensure this”.

Swiss citizens are also waiting to be repatriated

In Sudan, Swiss nationals are also waiting to be flown out. The authorities in Bern announced on Friday that the embassy staff would not be evacuated for the time being. The other hundred or so Swiss nationals would also have to hold out in the war-torn country. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the current situation does not allow an organized departure.

The FDFA can, if necessary, take part in the rescue measures of other countries.

On Saturday, the FDFA confirmed to SRF that measures that could be taken based on various scenarios are being examined. “The FDFA is in contact with third countries and can, if necessary, participate in the rescue measures of other countries,” said media spokeswoman Léa Zürcher. For security reasons, no further details could be disclosed. Despite the circumstances, the team at the Swiss embassy in Khartoum is doing well so far.

Media: Spanish planes bring Europeans home

According to media reports, Spain has sent two air force transport planes to evacuate its citizens and some other Europeans and Latin Americans from Sudan to Africa.

One of the two A400M military transporters has already landed in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa, state TV broadcaster RTVE and other Spanish media reported on Friday. Djibouti is around 1,700 kilometers from Khartoum. A third machine of the same type is ready in Spain.

The airport in the capital Khartoum has been at the center of hostilities since the beginning of the conflict. Diplomats are scrambling to create a resilient ceasefire for evacuating foreign nationals.

Various countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Spain and Switzerland, are currently exploring the terms of such an emergency measure. A first German attempt to evacuate citizens using Luftwaffe aircraft had to be aborted.

Each of the military aircraft can transport more than 100 people. There was initially no official confirmation.

Ceasefire broken after a few days

Fighting in the African country continues after a brief ceasefire. According to a reporter from the German Press Agency, Khartoum was bombed again on Saturday morning. A Reuters reporter had previously reported fierce exchanges of fire and isolated airstrikes in the capital.

Legend:

Smoke over the capital Khartoum. Residents also report explosions on social media.

Keystone/AP Maheen S

Yesterday, Friday, the two military blocs agreed on a ceasefire on the occasion of the celebrations marking the end of Ramadan. During the night, this was largely adhered to.

Over 400 dead in a week

The country’s army has been fighting for power against the once-allied paramilitary unit Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since last Saturday.

In the current conflict, Sudan’s two most powerful generals and their units are fighting for supremacy in the country. De facto President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is also the supreme commander of the army, has the military behind him. His deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, heads the powerful paramilitary group RSF.

The two generals have led the country in northeast Africa with around 46 million inhabitants since a joint military coup in 2021. For years, power has been said to be handed over to a civilian government.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 413 people have lost their lives and more than 3,500 have been injured since the fighting began.