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More than 150 people rescued from war-torn Sudan – some from India – including foreign diplomats and officials arrived in Jeddah on Saturday, the Saudi foreign ministry said, the first evacuation of civilians announced since the fighting began.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that the evacuation was carried out by the Saudi navy with support from other parts of the military.
It declared 91 Saudi citizens and about 66 nationals from 12 other countries (Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Philippines, Canada and Burkina Faso) “safe”. arrival”.
The foreign ministry said the foreigners included “diplomats and (government) officials” but gave no further details.
The statement added that Saudi Arabia “strives to provide foreign nationals with all necessary needs” before traveling to their respective countries.
Saudi State Ehbariya On Saturday, television stations released several videos of warships approaching the port of Jeddah.
read | Indians stranded in Sudan without food, hotels without electricity: report
Footage showed officials and soldiers receiving evacuees as they handed out sweets during the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan.
Women and children carrying Saudi flags were also seen disembarking from one of the boats.
According to Al-Ekhbariya, those who arrived in Jeddah on Saturday included the crew of a Saudi airliner that was shot at as it was preparing to take off from Khartoum when the fighting began on April 15.
The broadcaster said the evacuees were transported by convoy to Port Sudan, from where they boarded boats for Jeddah.
It was the first evacuation of civilians from Sudan since violence broke out in the country a week ago.
Earlier on Saturday, Sudan’s military said its commander-in-chief, Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, had received calls from various state leaders requesting “facilitation and security for the evacuation of citizens and diplomatic missions” .
It noted that the evacuation was expected to begin “in the next few hours”, adding that the US, UK, France and China were planning to airlift their nationals out of Khartoum using military aircraft.
On 15 April, forces loyal to Burhan clashed with those of his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commanded a powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF).
The former ally seized power in a coup in 2021 but has since fallen in a bitter power struggle.
The conflict – much of it in Khartoum – has left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
According to witnesses, heavy gunfire, huge explosions and the roar of fighter jets were heard in many parts of the capital on Saturday morning.
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