538 Indonesian Citizens in Sudan Successfully Evacuated

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said that as many as 538 Indonesian citizens in Khartoum, Sudan had been successfully evacuated on Monday local time.

“538 Indonesian citizens have arrived safely in Port Sudan City consisting of 273 women, 240 men and 25 children under five,” Retno said in a virtual press conference.

The Indonesian citizens who were evacuated, said the Foreign Minister, were mostly Indonesian students and Indonesian migrant workers, Indofood company employees and Indonesian Embassy staff and their families.

The Foreign Minister explained that the evacuation was carried out using eight buses and one mini bus from the Indonesian Embassy.

The first phase of the evacuation departed from Khartoum on Sunday at 08.00 local time. The travel time for the Khartoum-Port Sudan road trip takes about 15 hours or about 830 KM via the cities of Atbara, Damir, Mismar and Sawakin City.

“There are about 15 checkpoints along the way,” said Retno.

Currently, the 538 Indonesian citizens are resting at a halfway house in Port Sudan before departure to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by sea.

“God willing, preparations for returning to Indonesia will also continue,” explained the Indonesian Foreign Minister.

According to Retno, the evacuation in Sudan this time was not easy because it was carried out in the midst of ongoing fighting.

Communication continues both in Sudan to ensure safe passage and security guarantees for Indonesian citizens.

“The same thing was done by our Watapri in New York to continue to coordinate with the UN Secretary General and UN OCHA team because the evacuation was also carried out almost simultaneously with UN staff working in Sudan,” she said.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister emphasized that the government would try its best to take Indonesian citizens out of the region conflict safely. (L/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)