595 Iraqi nationals evacuated from Sudan
People evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman on April 24. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday that the number of Iraqi nationals evacuated from Sudan reached 595, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Al-Sahhaf, mentioned in a statement that the number of evacuees has reached 595 so far, explaining that they were evacuated in three flights.
Al-Sahhaf indicated that the aircraft evacuating the Iraqi community in Sudan arrived at Baghdad International Airport with 165 individuals on board, including dozens of Sudanese and Syrians.
The Iraqi authorities announced in mid-May the evacuation of 429 Iraqi citizens from Sudan, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
The statement explained that two planes evacuated Iraqis in Sudan on April 27, and a third Iraqi plane evacuated the rest of the Iraqis in Sudan on May 12.
The step followed the announcement of the ‘Jeddah Declaration,’ signed last month by the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces to protect civilians affected by the armed conflict ongoing since mid-April.
The agreement focused on the withdrawal of military forces from hospitals and service facilities, opening safe paths for the exit of civilians from conflict areas, and bringing humanitarian aid to the capital and conflict-affected areas.
The continuous battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces prompted many countries to increase their efforts to evacuate their nationals or diplomatic missions by land, sea, and air.
Since April 15, violent clashes have been taking place between the Sudanese army forces and the Rapid Support Forces in separate areas of Sudan, most of which are concentrated in the capital, Khartoum.
Hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured, including aid workers, in the battles that started on April 15 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, according to reports issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).