EU plans possible evacuation for citizens in conflict-hit Sudan

Issued on: 21/04/2023 – 17:24Modified: 21/04/2023 – 17:45

“We are trying to coordinate an operation to get our civilians out of the city which is now in a high-risk situation. We are working on different possibilities for taking people out,” a senior EU official said. 

“For the time being, the assessment of those on the ground, including the EU embassy, is that the security conditions are not in place for going ahead with an operation of this kind.”

The official said the EU and the seven member states with missions in Sudan, including France, Germany and Italy, were looking at getting the estimated 1,500 EU nationals trapped in Khartoum out by road because the airport was closed.

It would require a three-day ceasefire to carry out such an operation, he said.  

“We will be following closely the situation to wait for the moment that it can be done,” the official said. 

“At that moment, it’s our expectation we will be fully prepared to go ahead with the evacuation of our nationals.” 

More than 400 people have been killed and thousands wounded since the fighting erupted Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, (RSF) who is commonly known as Hemeti.

A senior EU humanitarian official was shot and wounded in the violence and the bloc said its ambassador to Sudan was “assaulted” in his residence.

(AFP)