LAHORE – Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Sudan started evacuating its stranded nationals to Saudi Arabia, said the country’s envoy on Sunday.
Fighting is expected to continue after a brief ceasefire in the northeastern state of Africa later in the day, the envoy said.
A number of countries around the world are in the process of bringing back their citizens from Sudan after two rival military factions clashed with each other last week.
Saudi Arabia has played a pivotal role in helping other nations rescue their nationals from the African state, with President Joe Biden thanking the kingdom for evacuating American diplomats and their families while calling its help “critical to the success of our operation.”
“We have already dispatched two buses to Port Sudan while eight others are parked at my residence,” Ambassador Meer Behrose Regi told Arab News over the phone. “About five of these 50-seater buses are packed to capacity and ready to move.”
“These people will travel to Jeddah before flying back to Pakistan,” he continued.
Earlier, Independent Urdu reported that a female Pakistani national had already traveled with Saudi nationals to safety on Saturday.
A statement by the kingdom’s foreign ministry also confirmed the Royal Saudi Naval Forces had rescued 91 of citizens along with 66 people belonging to other nationalities, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, and Pakistan.
#Statement | In the implementation of the directives of the Kingdom's Leadership, we are pleased to announce the safe arrival of the evacuated citizens of the Kingdom from Sudan and several nationals of brotherly & friendly countries, including diplomats & international officials pic.twitter.com/Eg0YemshYD
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) April 22, 2023
Ambassador Regi said about 1,300 Pakistanis were in Sudan, though some of them were still not willing to leave the African country. He added the embassy was planning to give them an evacuation deadline.
The envoy also informed that a number of high-profile officials, including the country’s prime minister, foreign secretary, and diplomats in Sudan and Saudi Arabia, were involved in the evacuation process and keeping a close eye on the situation.
He said he was personally going to lead a large batch of Pakistani nationals to Port Sudan.
Last week, the residents of Khartoum and adjoining cities found themselves under siege as the Sudanese army and its powerful paramilitary, the Rapid Support Forces, clashed with each other while striving to take control of the country.
The two sides were allies in the past and worked together to seize power in a 2019 coup.
As tensions increased, however, a power struggle broke out between them, making analysts warn of a nationwide civil war and the international community calling for a ceasefire.
Pakistan finalising plan for safe evacuation of nationals stranded in Sudan
Clashes between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group have left over 400 people dead, and a thousand injured while several embassies also suffered attacks amid fear of full-scale civil war.
