Riyadh – Khartoum – follow-up in Geneva
Publication date: May 09, 2023 10:55 PM KSA
The Saudi Ministry of Defense said yesterday that “the Air Force has carried out 6 evacuation flights since the beginning of the evacuation from Sudan to the Kingdom,” noting that “King Abdullah Air Base in the western sector receives 26 flights.” The ministry said in a statement that “the Air Force evacuated 530 people, including Saudis, from Sudan,” noting that “foreign evacuation flights from Sudan to Jeddah brought 2,889 people from brotherly and friendly countries belonging to 6 countries: India, Pakistan, Sudan, Indonesia, Morocco and South Korea. The statement added that “22 flights took off from King Abdullah Air Base in the Western Sector and delivered 2,558 people on board with Pakistani, Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, Moroccan, Iranian, Mauritanian, South Korean, Libyan and United Nations aircraft.” . Heavy fighting in Sudan since mid-April has displaced 700,000 people inside Sudan, according to what the United Nations announced yesterday. “Currently, more than 700,000 people are internally displaced as a result of the fighting that began on April 15,” said Paul Dillon, spokesman for the United Nations International Organization for Migration, stressing: “Last Tuesday, the number of displaced people reached 340,000.” Even before the outbreak of hostilities, Sudan had about 3.7 million people registered as internally displaced, Dillon said. “Many of the displaced people take shelter with their relatives, while others gather in schools, mosques and public buildings,” he added. He referred to what he called “the great generosity of the Sudanese people in opening their doors to displaced people who came to their areas.” But he noted “the enormous pressure this puts on host families or communities, who in many cases are themselves suffering the consequences of more than three weeks of fighting.” Since the standoff began, the Sudanese capital has witnessed a state of chaos resulting from fighting between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”. Fighting continues in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country, where more than three weeks of fighting has left 750 dead and 5,000 wounded, according to ACLED. For his part, Arab Parliament Speaker Adel bin Abdul Rahman al-Asumi praised the “humanitarian initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to provide humanitarian assistance.” help for the benefit of the Sudanese people to help them in their current crisis.” In a statement, Al-Assoumi praised the “humanitarian aid sent by the United Arab Emirates in cooperation with the World Health Organization, by sending medicines and humanitarian and emergency assistance to the Sudanese people, which embodies the humanitarian vision of His Highness the Sheikh.” Mohammed bin Zayed, President of the Emirates. The Speaker of the Arab Parliament called on the international community and donors to expedite the provision of humanitarian and emergency assistance to the Sudanese people in order to alleviate the suffering and difficult living conditions they are facing due to deteriorating economic and security conditions as a result of the current crisis. In addition, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, praised the humanitarian assistance provided by the United Arab Emirates for the benefit of the Sudanese people, which was represented by three aircraft loaded with 115 tons of emergency medical aid, aid and humanitarian supplies for Sudan. He expressed appreciation for these humanitarian initiatives and reiterated his urging the rest of the OIC Member States, financial and humanitarian institutions and international donors to speed up emergency humanitarian assistance to Sudan in light of the deteriorating humanitarian situation. especially Sudan’s needs for medical supplies and services, as well as support for the efforts of neighboring countries. Sudan hosts many Sudanese refugees and foreigners.dv