30 Zambians in Sudan as Countries Evacuate Diplomats and Citizens

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Stanley Kakubo, clarified that 30 Zambians were known to be living across cities in Sudan, as foreign nations across the globe have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from war-torn Sudan.

Rival military factions have been battling in and above the streets of Khartoum for control of the country. Fighting exploded on 15 April; since then, at least 420 people have been confirmed dead, and swathes of the city have been looted, torched or destroyed by military engagements.

Foreign governments have responded by doing whatever they can to rescue their citizens. U.S. special forces landed MH-47 Chinook helicopters from a Djibouti base, removing fewer than 100 people from Khartoum.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, announced on Sunday that UK armed forces undertook a “complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan”.

Germany and France said on Sunday that evacuation efforts for their nationals had begun. Italy, the Netherlands and Greece are among countries that have planned rescue missions.

A French Air Force plane extracted 100 people of a variety of nationalities and landed in Djibouti, said France President Emmanuel Macron. He added that a second plane was expected to depart Khartoum with roughly the same number of people on Sunday evening, and it is estimated that France has airlifted 491 people from 36 countries. A French special forces member has since been reported “gravely ill”, shot while evacuating French diplomats.

UN vehicles and buses have been seen undertaking 850km road journeys heading to Port Sudan, a Sierra Leonean evacuee said. India Foreign Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar tweeted that more than 500 Indian citizens had reached the port, where 2 planes and a naval vessel were waiting for them.

Saudi Arabia announced that 91 citizens and 66 nationals of “friendly countries” had been airlifted from Port Sudan to Jeddah.

A near-total internet blackout has hampered communication with and, therefore, efforts to rescue citizens from various countries. Some foreign nationals, who fear their countries will not be able to rescue them, have rented buses and driven by road North to Egypt, southeast to Eritrea or south to Djibouti. Roadblocks have been installed by the paramilitary RSF group in Khartoum, and some attempting to flee have reported being robbed by RSF fighters.

It is yet to be seen what efforts Zambia has made or will make to help its citizens trapped in Sudan. Known to be in the country are 8 security officers deployed on peace keeping missions, as well as 6 university students and 16 employees of organisations including the UN. 4 Zambians were known this time last week to have left Sudan with the help of their employers. Kakubo did reveal that the Zambian embassy in Ethiopia, which handles Zambian citizens in Sudan, was in constant contact with Zambians still in Sudan.

Image via Reuters.