Over 200 more stranded Pakistanis reach Port Sudan
With latest convoy, total number of Pakistanis who have been evacuated to safety has reached 700
April 25, 2023
- "Team working to facilitate Pakistanis who are still in Sudan," says FM.
- Adds in contact with friendly countries to facilitate evacuation process.
- Bilawal lauds hard work of Pakistan missions in African region.
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday claimed that another convoy of 211 stranded Pakistanis dispatched from Khartoum, have arrived in Port Sudan — a port city in eastern Sudan — amid fierce fighting between the army and a paramilitary force.
“With the latest convoy, the total number of Pakistanis who have been evacuated to safety has reached 700. Ambassador Meer Bahrose Regi’s team in Khartoum and Port Sudan are working day and night to facilitate the stay of Pakistanis who are still in Sudan until their evacuation to Pakistan,” the Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson quoted the foreign minister as saying in a press statement.
Bilawal, in his statement, further said that they remained engaged with the friendly countries in the region especially with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to facilitate the evacuation process.
He also appreciated the hard work of Pakistan missions in the region and the entire foreign office team led by foreign secretary Dr Asad Majeed Khan, who was leading the inter-agency coordination process.
What’s happening in Sudan?
Fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
More than 400 people have been killed in the clashes so far.
Daglo’s RSF emerged from the Janjaweed fighters whom former strongman Omar al-Bashir unleashed in the Darfur region, where they were accused of war crimes including genocide.
The military toppled Bashir in April 2019 following mass citizen protests.
The two generals seized power in a 2021 coup, but later fell out in a bitter power struggle, most recently centred on the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army.
