First evacuees from Sudan landed in Germany

On Sunday evening, the first German machine to take off was a military transporter with 101 evacuees on the return flight, as the Bundeswehr announced on Twitter during the night. A second plane followed later with 113 evacuees. A third German military plane landed in Khartoum in the evening.

Supply situation has developed dramatically

More than a week ago, heavy fighting broke out in the country between the country’s two most powerful generals and their units. The two men have led the country in northeast Africa with around 46 million inhabitants since two joint military coups in 2019 and 2021.

De facto President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is also the Army Commander-in-Chief, is fighting with the military against his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, the leader of the powerful paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Actually, the RSF should have been subordinate to the army and power in the country should have been returned to a civilian government.

In the capital Khartoum, the supply situation has developed dramatically since the fighting began. There is a lack of water and food, power cuts are increasingly impeding communication. Looting is also considered a major risk.

The Embassy in Khartoum and the Foreign Office gave the Germans in Sudan instructions for action in a so-called compatriot letter, which was available to the German Press Agency. Attention was drawn to the dangers of approaching the assembly point, which must be done independently.

“The situation is still very volatile, fighting continues in many places despite the announced ceasefire. Therefore, always carefully assess the risk of moving from your current location and, if necessary, choose alternative routes or an alternative convoy,” the letter explained. “You may not be able to take all of the items you have with you on board the evacuation aircraft. Pets cannot be carried.” Details of the collection point should not be made public.

>> Read also: US citizen killed in Sudan

EU ambassador stays in country

The EU ambassador in Sudan is said to remain in the country despite the fighting. The staff of the representation in the capital Khartoum, which was hit by heavy fighting, will be evacuated, wrote the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Twitter on Sunday evening. EU ambassador Aidan O’Hara, who was himself attacked shortly after fighting broke out more than a week ago, will continue to work from Sudan.

Borrell wrote that he was “relieved” that the evacuation was made possible with the help of the French diplomatic service, the French army and the neighboring state of Djibouti. “We remain committed to silencing the guns and assisting any civilians left behind.”

Airport at the center of hostilities

The airport in the capital Khartoum itself has been at the center of hostilities since the outbreak of violence. International diplomats have repeatedly tried to achieve a resilient ceasefire.

On Wednesday, an attempt at a diplomatic evacuation using aircraft from the Air Force, but without any major deployment of soldiers, was canceled because the security situation in Khartoum was considered too dangerous. A crisis team meets daily in Berlin.

The US brought all US diplomats and their families to safety on Sunday night, as the White House and the US State Department announced. A US military official said around 100 US soldiers were involved in the evacuation of embassy staff.

The use of helicopters on site took less than an hour. No one died or was injured as a result. According to the information, fewer than 100 people were rescued, including several diplomats from other countries.

Other countries including France, Belgium, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain were also planning rescue missions, the first of which reported successful completion on Sunday evening.

More: Fighting in the third largest country in Africa – Sudan is threatened with a new civil war