Pakistan thanks Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey for helping evacuate nationals from Sudan

CAIRO – 24 April 2023: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for their efforts to evacuate Pakistani nationals stranded in Sudan.

The premier said in a statement on Monday that he supervised the evacuation himself to ensure the safe return of citizens after the deterioration of the security situation in Sudan.

Egypt has recently started its evacuation plan, evacuating a total of 904 Egyptian citizens since yesterday, including 468 on Monday so far via land and air routes.

Egypt, Sudan’s northern neighbor, has been pushing for a sustainable ceasefire in the Sudanese lands as a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands others after entering its second week.

Egypt also has around 10,000 citizens in Sudan, including 5,000 students, according to earlier statements by Egyptian Minister of Immigration Soha Gendy.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has asked Egyptian expats in Sudan who reside outside Khartoum to head to the Egyptian consulates in Port Sudan or Wadi Halfa in preparation for evacuation.

However, the ministry advised the nationals inside Khartoum to stay indoors away from areas of conflict.