PUTRAJAYA – Three Malaysians previously trapped in Sudan have safely landed at King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, early this morning. They are scheduled to fly back to Malaysia this Sunday.
The three travelled on the Saudi naval ship Amanah and landed in Jeddah at 12.50am Malaysia time, according to a statement from Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir.
He said Wisma Putra, the Sudan Special Operations Team, the Malaysian embassies in Sudan and Riyadh, as well as the Saudi government, were all involved in the extraction.
According to him, the Malaysian consulate-general in Jeddah met them upon arrival and took them to lodging arranged by the Saudi government.
The group will travel aboard Saudia flight SV842, which has been completely coordinated by Wisma Putra and the Malaysian consulate-general in Jeddah and scheduled to land in Malaysia at 5am local time on Sunday.
Zambry thanked Riyadh on the Malaysian government’s behalf for the assistance and amenities provided during the three’s stay in Jeddah.
He also advised Malaysians who know of relatives or friends of Malaysians discovered in Sudan to get in touch with Wisma Putra to assist in their search.
Earlier, the media quoted Zambry as saying that three additional Malaysians were still trapped in Khartoum but not registered with the Malaysian embassy.
Since the violence in Sudan started on April 15, at least 550 people have died, more than 5,000 have been injured, and over 100,000 citizens have fled to neighbouring countries as a result of the armed confrontation between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. – Bernama, May 5, 2023
