Pinoys among first evacuees from Sudan

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is preparing to evacuate Filipinos from Sudan, where battles have raged since over a week ago due to a power struggle between rival military factions.

In a video message released last Saturday, President Marcos said the government is taking steps for the safe evacuation of Filipinos out of the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, where most of the clashes are taking place.

“We are just waiting to get better information as to whether or not it will be safe to bring our evacuees out of Khartoum, perhaps into Cairo,” Marcos said, adding that the task is fraught with challenges.

“We have a big problem in Sudan. We have about 300 people in Sudan. Unfortunately, none of the airports are functioning. They are still under fire,” he said.

“Also, we cannot ascertain a secure land route for them to leave. It is a long road from Khartoum to Cairo, which is where our embassy is, that is in charge also of Khartoum and Sudan,” Marcos added.

Marcos said the government is already preparing the assets that may be involved in the evacuation efforts.

Advice to Pinoys in Sudan

The Philippine embassy in Egypt advised Filipinos that the airports in Sudan remain closed since April 15, and “there is no safe option for air evacuation at this time.”

“There are announcements on ceasefires being agreed to, but there are still gunshots and bombings in certain areas,” the embassy said in its advisory.

“Venture out if and only necessary (like to replenish supplies, e.g., food and water). Carefully assess the situation in your area before leaving your homes.”

Filipinos were also advised to remain in their home, and away from windows and rooftops.

“Stay at the lower levels of your shelter,” it said.

The embassy said the Philippine Consulate in Khartoum is also stranded and currently cannot provide consular and Assistance-to-Nationals services.

The Consulate is currently working on ways to secure food and water and other supplies for delivery or pickup.

The embassy asked Filipinos in Sudan to send clear copies of their passport and residence visa via email: [email protected], and provide the following information:

Full name (as indicated in passport):

Phone number:

Location in Sudan:

Name and location of employment:

Is passport and residence visa valid? (Yes/No)

Name and contact details of next-of-kin in the Philippines:

The embassy can be reached through

WhatsApp/Mobile: (+20) 122 743 6472

Facebook/Messenger: PHinEgypt Email: [email protected]

“We continue to monitor the situation in Sudan and shall keep posting updates on social media, and may send directly to your numbers and emails. Please stay safe,” the embassy said.

Pinoys among first evacuated from Sudan

Filipinos were among the first evacuees from war-hit Sudan who arrived in Jeddah on Saturday, the Saudi foreign ministry announced.

In a statement, the foreign ministry said over 150 people, including foreign diplomats and officials, were rescued from Sudan and brought to Jeddah on Saturday in the first evacuation of civilians since fighting began.

The Ministry said the measure is an implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The evacuation involved the Saudi naval forces and other branches of its armed forces. The evacuees were received by Saudi government officials and soldiers.

Among those evacuated were 91 Saudi citizens and around 66 nationals including diplomats from 12 other countries — the Philippines, Canada, United Arab Emirates, India, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso.

In a separate statement, the foreign ministry said Saudi Arabia began procedures to evacuate its citizens and the nationals of “brotherly and friendly countries” from Sudan.

It gave assurance that Saudi Arabia was working “to provide all the necessary needs of foreign nationals” ahead of their departure to their respective countries.

Saudi state-run Al-Ekhbariya television released several videos of warships approaching Jeddah’s port on Saturday.

The evacuees were received by officials and soldiers who distributed sweets on the occasion of the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, footage showed.

Women and children holding Saudi flags were also seen getting off one of the ships.

Among those who arrived in Jeddah on Saturday was the crew of a Saudi passenger plane that was hit by gunfire while preparing to take off from Khartoum at the start of the fighting on April 15, according to Al-Ekhbariya.

Earlier on Saturday, Sudan’s army said its chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had received calls from leaders of several countries to “facilitate and guarantee safety for evacuating citizens and diplomatic missions.”

It noted that the evacuations are expected to begin “in the coming hours,” adding that the United States, Britain, France and China were planning to airlift their nationals out of Khartoum using military jets.

Clashes between forces loyal to Burhan and those of his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, have raged, killing at least 331 people and injuring 3,200 more. — Pia Lee-Brago