Australia evacuates 150 of its citizens trapped in Sudan

Sydney, Australia, May 1 (EFE).- Australia reported Monday that it evacuated more than 150 Australians trapped in Sudan, a country plunged into chaos by fighting between paramilitary forces and the army.

These Australians are “safe and sound” in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where they arrived Sunday, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Monday on her Twitter account, thanking the help of the United States and its international partners.

Some 25,000 people born in Sudan and South Sudan live in Australia, and Wong urged her compatriots to consider leaving the African country “as soon as possible,” adding that Canberra would continue working with its international partners in future evacuations.

Wong also highlighted the extension of the ceasefire in Sudan until Wednesday, and called on parties to the conflict to agree to a “permanent cessation” of hostilities and pave the way for a democracy led by civilians.

Many countries began the repatriation of their citizens from Sudan more than a week ago. The country has been affected since mid-April by a conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, two military rivals who jointly overthrew the transitional government in a coup in October 2021. EFE

wat/lds