Our ambassador in Khartoum is currently preparing measures to get them out of Sudan at the earliest.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is still trying to evacuate 6–8 nationals (WNIs) from Sudan to safe points, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Monday.
According to Andy Rachmianto, MFA's director general of protocol and consular affairs, the remaining nationals were not among the 930 WNIs evacuated by the government from Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
"Yesterday, the Indonesian embassy (KBRI) in Khartoum received a report that disclosed a number of WNIs who had not been registered by the time of the evacuation process initiation," he revealed.
The KBRI has gathered their data, and the Indonesian Ambassador to Sudan, Sunarko, is currently preparing a plan for their evacuation.
"Our ambassador in Khartoum is currently preparing measures to get them out of Sudan at the earliest," he said.
The evacuees will be taken to two locations—Jeddah and the Sudan-Egypt border—before being escorted back to their homeland.
"Some of our nationals will be escorted out of Sudan through its border with Egypt. Later, the task will be handed over to our embassy in Cairo to fly the evacuees to Jakarta at the first occasion," he said.
The MFA has been working closely with a number of ministries/agencies and the national defense forces (TNI) to evacuate 930 WNIs from Port Sudan.
Out of the 930 evacuees, 823 have been flown in three batches from Jeddah to Jakarta using commercial planes and the Indonesian Air Force's 737 A-7305 Boeing Aircraft.
Meanwhile, a total of 107 WNIs who are temporarily staying in Jeddah are scheduled to travel back to Indonesia on a commercial plane.
For the evacuation mission, the TNI deployed 39 soldiers, comprising flight crews of the air force, elite troops of the air force's Satbravo 90 Quick Reaction Forces Command (Kopasgat), doctors, TNI's Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) officers, and also officers from the TNI Information Center.
The evacuation team was led by Colonel Noto Casnoto.
At the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, the evacuation team concluded its mission after successfully escorting 75 nationals from Jeddah to Jakarta.
Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo, welcomed the returnees and the team at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base on Monday.
"The Indonesian Air Force has conducted a total of 4 flights from Sudan via Port Sudan to Jeddah and vice versa. A total of 344 WNIs have been escorted on our aircraft," Prasetyo said.
He added that the air force also evacuated 15 foreign nationals from Port Sudan to Jeddah in response to a request to the MFA. The foreigners are Australian, Sudanese, and Djibouti citizens.
"Praise be to God, the entire evacuation process went smoothly," he remarked.
The success story could be achieved, he said, "thanks to the collaboration of all parties, especially the MFA through its close coordination with the embassy and consulate in Khartoum and Jeddah respectively, and all TNI personnel stationed there."
An armed conflict broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, on April 15, 2023. The tension bubbled to the surface following the latter's efforts to fully incorporate itself into the official armed forces.
Most of the ensuing violence has raged in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and spread to surrounding areas. The World Health Organization reported that over 400 people have been killed and more than 4 thousand injured since the clash erupted.
The WNI evacuation mission was conducted amid a days-long ceasefire between the two conflicting forces that was further prolonged by another 72 hours on April 30.
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Translator: Genta Tenri M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Anton Santoso
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