BERLIN – The first German military flight carrying evacuees from conflict-hit Sudan has landed in Berlin, the Foreign Ministry said early today.
On board were 101 German citizens and their family members, as well as nationals of partner countries, the ministry said.
After a stop in Jordan, the passengers arrived in the German capital at 6.15am (0415 GMT).
Like other countries, Germany began a military evacuation yesterday. A total of three Bundeswehr Airbus A400Ms flew to Sudan to pick up people to be evacuated, reported German news agency (dpa).
The German armed forces and the Foreign Ministry are looking to fly out a total of more than 300 German nationals registered on a crisis list in addition to citizens of partner states if possible.
The mission involves a total of more than 1,000 Bundeswehr forces.
More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from Sudan, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said today, singling out and thanking France for its assistance in the operation.
Borrell also thanked countries for evacuating not only their citizens “but also all nationals that they could”. He declined to give an exact figure of those evacuated.
More than 20 EU officials working in Sudan have been evacuated and are back in Europe, according to the European Commission. “So, it has been a successful operation, but complex,” he said.
Borrell also stressed the importance of international pressure to bring an end to the fighting. The implosion of Sudan would “send shock waves” around Africa, he said.
Meanwhile, Japan’s government said today that all efforts are being made to safely evacuate the country’s nationals from Sudan.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that the situation was being closely monitored and he wanted to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals.
Efforts are under way to evacuate around 60 Japanese nationals from Sudan as clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continue in the capital Khartoum and adjoining cities, said Xinhua.
On Saturday, Sudan’s Health Ministry said the deadly clashes have left at least 424 people dead and around 3,730 wounded.
Kishida said today that the government will provide updates on the situation whenever it can. – Bernama, April 24, 2023
