Kenya begins evacuation of citizens from troubled Sudan
Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Dr Alfred Mutua has confirmed that Kenya has started plans to evacuate its citizens from Sudan.
The CS said on Monday that his ministry has three active evacuation programmes targeting more than 300 people.
“We have already allowed 29 Kenyan students to cross the border into Ethiopia. They are on their way to Gondor where they will fly to Addis Ababa and then on to Nairobi,” Dr Mutua said.
According to the CS, the Kenyan government has prepared Kenya Air Force aircraft for 18 students who are travelling by road to the South Sudan border and will be airlifted to Nairobi.
Dr Mutua added that a larger group of Kenyans are on a well-planned itinerary and we will have two planes taking them from Port Sudan to Jeddah and then on to Nairobi by Kenya Airways.
Also read: Ruto: Kenya ready to host Sudan’s peace talks
The CS also commended South Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia for allowing Kenyan aircraft to overfly their airspace to facilitate the evacuation of Kenyans stranded in Sudan.
“I also particularly thank the Governments of South Sudan and Ethiopia for responding to our request and allowing Kenyans to cross their borders and reach safety.”
According to the United Nations (UN), at least 427 people have been killed and more than 3,700 injured since the war began in Sudan.
Thousands have also fled their homes, and many health facilities in Khartoum and Darfur states have ceased to function.
The UN report also states that since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country has experienced acute shortages of water, food, medicine, fuel and limited access to communications and electricity.
The African Union, the UN and other international bodies have condemned the ongoing fighting and called for a ceasefire.
Kenyan President William Ruto, who also called for a ceasefire, said Kenya was ready to host peace talks between the warring factions to restore peace, saying the ongoing war was a threat to the entire region.
Also read: WFP suspends operations in Sudan after a deadly attack on humanitarian workers