Khartoum [Sudan]: Countries have started to evacuate their stranded citizens as fierce fighting continues to rage in Khartoum, with France being the latest one to evacuate around 100 people of multiple nationalities on the first French flight after a “complicated” rescue operation.
Diplomats from Africa, the Middle East and the West have appealed for a halt to the fighting but with no result. Saudi Arabia recently evacuated 66 people from friendly and brotherly nations, which also included Indian nationals. The evacuation came days after EAM S Jaishankar spoke to his Saudi Arabia counterpart and PM Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation in Sudan.
According to the officials, evacuees had to cross the first battle line near the capital Khartoum to board the aircraft, according to Al Jazeera.
“The U.N. and many others want the blood of the Sudanese,” Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner founder, said in a statement. Without a hint of irony, Mr. Prigozhin, who is waging a brutal military campaign on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, added: “I want peace.”
On condition of anonymity, a government official told reporters that a second flight with 100 additional passengers is scheduled to depart on Sunday evening and also travel to Djibouti, Al Jazeera reported.
