Government plans to begin its evacuation of more Filipinos from strife-torn Sudan “within 24 hours,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.
Three Filipinos were safely evacuated from the northeast African country and have already arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said in a television interview.
The number of Filipinos requesting repatriation has reached 156 as the armed conflict between the Sudanese military and a paramilitary group continues, the Foreign Affairs executive added.
“Our embassy there said over 500 Filipinos sent them a message. Out of the 500 plus, 156 are ready to go home at any moment,” de Vega said.
The official, quoted by ABS-CBN News, said the three rescued female Filipinos were airline workers at Saudia who were stuck in Khartoum amid the ongoing clashes there.
He noted there are only around 300 Filipinos who are registered residents of Sudan. However, the envoy said there could be up to 700 Filipinos, mostly undocumented, residing there to date.
Filipinos in Sudan are appealing for help in leaving the battle-torn country where deadly fighting raged into a second week (see related story on World page – Editors).
Reports said the forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo declared a 72-hour truce for the Muslim holiday of Eid, and Filipinos are worried over clashes worsening again now that the holiday is over, ABS-CBN News reported.
Speaking with TeleRadyo, Noemi Sanchez urged Philippine officials in Sudan to do everything to evacuate Filipinos quickly.
Over the weekend, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said the government could not ascertain a secure land route for the Filipinos to leave because none of the airports are functioning and there is a long distance between Khartoum and Cairo where the embassy is located.
The Filipinos could either travel to Port Sudan where there are ferries going to Saudi Arabia or go to the border of Egypt where a team would bring them to Aswan and fly to Manila from there, De Vega said.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople meanwhile said teams headed by Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Arnell Ignacio will also be ready to assist the distressed Filipinos.
As of April 23, at least 420 people were killed and more than 3,700 injured due to the clashes that broke out, especially in Khartoum City and Darfur Region.