Johannesburg – The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said on Monday it had begun evacuating dozens of its citizens who were trapped in conflict-hit Sudan.
“I can confirm that the operation to evacuate South Africans in Sudan and the staff at the South African embassy there is currently under way. They are being taken to a neighbouring country for safety,” Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela said, without disclosing the country.
He did not give the numbers being evacuated nor a timeline on when they would land in South Africa.
But earlier, President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters in Johannesburg that some 77 South Africans were stuck in Sudan.
Ramaphosa also said Pretoria has agreed to “assist other nationals” from “our region” who are stranded in Sudan.
South Africa joins countries worldwide racing to move foreign nationals to safety after army and paramilitary forces began clashing across Sudan, killing hundreds and causing acute shortages of water, food, medicines and fuel.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@krassenstein
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