APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) At least three southern African countries have joined the stampede to evacuate their nationals from Sudan as a 72-hour ceasefire took effect in the northeast African country where fighting between the country’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has left over 450 dead over the past 10 days, APA learnt here.
Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe have announced plans to evacuate their citizens who are currently trapped as war rages in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities.
According to reports from Malawi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Kabaghe said President Lazarus Chakwera’s government has identified more than 100 Malawians who are stranded in Sudan and was working on a plan to repatriate them via Ethiopia or Egypt.
The ministry had last week embarked on a headcount of its nationals currently living or visiting Sudan.
South Africa on Monday said it had commenced evacuation of 77 of its nationals who were trapped in Sudan.
“Our nationals & embassy staff are on their way out of Khartoum. I can’t disclose the security & logistics of the operation. But they are moving out,” Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela tweeted late Monday.
Zimbabwe also announced on Monday that it had secured buses to evacuate about 100 of its nationals holed up in Sudan.
“The ministry has managed to secure buses to evacuate our nationals to the Port of Sudan in the UN convoy,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Livit Magejo said in a statement.
Several countries, mostly western nations, have been evacuating their nationals from Sudan where a 72-hour ceasefire from fierce fighting Khartoum was agreed on Monday. It is, however, unclear if the ceasefire would hold amid sporadic exchange of gunfire in the capital.
The ceasefire, which came into force in Sudan at midnight (22:00 GMT on Monday), is a key factor behind evacuations.
Fighting between rival military groups intensified on 15 April as their leaders disagreed on the direction the country is going in and the proposed move towards civilian rule.
JN/APA