Philippines already preparing to evacuate Filipinos in Sudan
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is already putting into place a plan to evacuate Filipinos based in Sudan once it is safe enough to do so, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said late Saturday.
In a video published by the Presidential Communications Office, the chief executive said the Philippines is “already preparing the assets that might be involved” in the evacuation and transfer of Filipinos from Khartoum, Sudan to Cairo in Egypt. The embassy there has jurisdiction over Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
“We are just waiting to get better information as to whether or not it would be safe to bring our evacuees out of Khartoum perhaps into Cairo,” Marcos Jr. said in the video.
He added that airports there are still not functioning, while officials “cannot ascertain a secure land route for them to leave.”
What’s happening in Sudan?
A weeks-long power struggle erupted into deadly violence Saturday between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Battles have taken place throughout the vast east African country and there are fears of regional spillover of the conflict that has seen air strikes, artillery and heavy gunfire.
Saudi Arabia and the United States have evacuated their citizens based in Sudan, while Japan is also preparing to evacuate its own citizens.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said they are recommending to put Sudan under Alert Level 3, which is raised by the agency in areas where there are violent disturbances or external aggression.
This would mean that Philippine officials in Sudan will facilitate the voluntary repatriation phase from Alert Level 2's restriction phase.
Repatriation plans
As of April 19, there were 86 OFWs who requested for repatriation. The DFA previously said the embassy in Cairo logged around 400 OFWs based in Sudan.
The STAR, citing the DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, reported that at least one Filipino was reported hurt in the raging violence in Sudan although the individual is now out of danger and in good condition.
The embassy in Cairo and the Philippine Honorary Consolate in Khartoum are already preparing for an ATN (assistance to nationals) Mission to facilitate the evacuation as well as to distribute relief goods to Filipinos.
Filipinos are among the first foreign nationals evacuated from Sudan and brought to Saudi Arabia.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry announced the "safe arrival" of 91 of its citizens along with nationals from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada and Burkina Faso.
The World Health Organization said 413 people had been killed and 3,551 wounded in the fighting across Sudan, but the actual death toll is thought to be higher. — with reports from Agence France-Presse
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