Third Phase Mission, 114 Indonesian Citizens Successfully Evacuated from Sudan

Jeddah, MINA – The humanitarian mission carried out by the TNI Task Force together with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to evacuate Indonesian Citizens who are still in Sudan is still continuing.

Now 114 Indonesian citizens have been evacuated from Port Sudan to an evacuation post in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, as quoted from the TNI’s official website.

In this third phase, a total of 344 Indonesian citizens have been successfully evacuated by the joint TNI Task Force.

Previously, in the first stage of evacuation, 385 Indonesian citizens with Garuda Indonesia GA 991 had landed in Jakarta on Friday morning, from Jeddah, after being successfully evacuated by sea from Port Sudan to Jeddah.

They consisted of 248 women and 137 men, and among them were 43 children.

“This is the arrival of the first stage in the homeland of Indonesian citizens who were evacuated from Sudan via Jeddah,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in an official statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

Considering that the evacuees’ journey is very long and tiring, upon arrival in Jakarta they will be temporarily housed at the Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory before returning to their respective areas.

The Coordinating Ministry for PMK and related Ministries/Institutions have prepared services ranging from health checks to counseling services. The Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and related regional governments will facilitate the return to their respective regions.

The repatriation of the evacuation from Sudan to Indonesia will be carried out in stages.

According to the plan, the second phase of repatriation to Indonesia will be carried out April 29, arriving in Indonesia April 30.

The third stage of repatriation, as well as closing the entire evacuation process, will be carried out April 30 using an Indonesian Air Force aircraft.

This time our evacuation was carried out using a relay evacuation pattern, starting with the evacuation by road from Khartoum to Port Sudan.

Then from Port Sudan to Jeddah either by sea or by air, and then returned in stages to Indonesia.

We carry out this evacuation pattern in response to a very fluid and dynamic field situation and with the aim of immediately removing Indonesian citizens from dangerous conflict areas.

“Thank God, this pattern went smoothly and we even assisted several foreigners to participate in our evacuation,” said Foreign Minister Retno.(T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)