Iraqi Defense Ministry allocates two planes to evacuate Iraqis stranded in Sudan
The Iraqi Minister of Defense, Thabet Al-Abbasi, and the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. Photo: Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Minister of Defense, Thabet Al-Abbasi, announced on Wednesday that two planes have been allocated to evacuate Iraqis stranded in Sudan, the state news agency (INA) reported.
“Under the directions of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Minister of Defense allocated two planes to evacuate Iraqis stranded in Sudan,” the Iraqi Ministry of Defense mentioned in a statement.
Like other members of foreign communities, Iraqis residing in Sudan are living in difficult conditions due to the military conflict ongoing for days in the country.
Despite the start of the evacuation of several Iraqis from Sudan, the difficult field conditions and the distribution of Iraqis in separate areas make it more difficult and risky.
A few days ago, an Iraqi national was killed in the ongoing clashes in Sudan between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.
In Baghdad’s latest stance, a statement was issued by the media office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, on Tuesday, in which he confirmed his directives to send two planes to transport the Iraqis stranded in Sudan.
The statement added that Al-Sudani also directed the Iraqi authorities, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ensure the safety of Iraqis and their return to Iraq as soon as possible.
The spokesperson of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Al-Sahaf, mentioned earlier that the ministry carried out three evacuation plans for Iraqi diplomats and citizens where 19 Iraqis in addition to the embassy staff in Khartoum where evacuated from Sudan.
Al-Sahaf explained that the authorities are getting ready for the evacuation of the largest number of the Iraqi community in Sudan, estimated at about 300 Iraqis.
Al-Sahaf indicated that phone numbers have been allocated to receive calls of those who want to be evacuated from Khartoum, in coordination with the Iraqi embassies in Khartoum, Abu Dhabi and Cairo.