The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, affirmed this Friday in Berlin that “everything is ready” for the evacuation of some 60 Spaniards from Sudan, although he acknowledged that at the moment the conditions are not in place for planes to land for this repatriation. Other European countries, including Germany, are in the same situation. The urgency to get their nationals out of the country has forced the German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, to cancel the trip he planned to make this Sunday to the United States.
“We have everything ready, there are Spanish army planes pre-positioned for the moment the conditions are met, but unfortunately now they are not given so that they can land and can transport 60 Spaniards and 20 of other nationalities,” Albares declared in an appearance meeting in Berlin with the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock.
“We have been in contact with all Spaniards,” said the minister, who nevertheless appealed to anyone who has not been contacted to contact the consular emergency telephone number and recalled that conditions in the country are “very difficult intense combat”.
Attempts to repatriate foreign citizens from Sudan have so far failed in the face of violent fighting around airports. On Wednesday, Germany attempted an evacuation with Air Force planes, but the situation in the besieged Sudanese capital of Khartoum was too dangerous for such a mission. “The Bundeswehr is preparing options for the repatriation of Germans and other persons to be protected from Sudan,” a Defense Ministry spokesman said.
Other countries, such as Japan, the United States have already mobilized their troops preparing them to evacuate their personnel.
In the case of Spain, meanwhile, the regrouping of the Spaniards at the Embassy is already underway, which has managed to supply itself in the last few hours, as has the ambassador’s residence, and to reinforce security around them. “The conditions are difficult,” Albares said. The fighting continues and the Khartoum airport is closed. “As soon as we have the opportunity, our military planes will enter Sudan and evacuate our colony,” added the minister, who has reported that in fact a Spaniard was on board a ship off the the coast of Sudan has already managed to be evacuated to another country. Albares stressed that the “completely sterile violence” that began last Saturday “has to stop”, a message that Baerbock has also repeated. “The situation is dramatic and in practice the population has been trapped since the fighting broke out. Crossing the gate poses a risk of death,” lamented the minister. “We demand that the two responsible generals end the senseless violence, cease fire, allow evacuations and that the population receive the humanitarian aid it needs,” Baerbock demanded, addressing the head of the Army, Abdelfatá al Burhan, and the commander of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias Hemedti. In this sense, he has encouraged both to resolve the conflict through negotiation “instead of reducing Sudan to rubble.” The German minister, like Albares, supported the mediation efforts being carried out by different actors, such as the African Union, IGAD or the UN with a view to achieving a 72-hour ceasefire on the occasion of the end of Ramadan this weekend week.
The clashes broke out six days ago in the midst of talks on a reform of the army and the integration of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (FAR) in it, within a political process to return Sudan to the democratic path after the coup d’état. of 2021 perpetrated by the head of the army, Abdelfatah al Burhan, and the paramilitary commander and leader of the FAR, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
At least 413 people have been killed and 3,551 injured in Sudan since the outbreak of conflict between the country’s army and the FAR, according to the latest WHO count.
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