Over 80 Pinoys in Sudan have requested evacuation, repatriation —DFA exec

The Philippine Embassy in Egypt has received 87 requests for evacuation and repatriation from Filipinos who are affected by the ongoing violence in Khartoum, Sudan.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega said Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedin Tago is handling the matter as honorary consul for Sudan.

“Naka-receive na siya ng at least 87 requests na tulungan silang makaalis. Yung iba gusto narin umuwi,” De Vega said.

(Tago already received at least 87 requests for assistance in leaving Sudan. Some of the requests were for assistance to the Philippines.)

De Vega said land travel from Khartoum to Egypt may take around nine hours.

According to De Vega, there are around 400 Filipinos recorded in Sudan, adding the number of Filipinos who have registered increased from 250 as the clashes erupted.

He said Filipinos in Sudan are advised to stay at home as the Philippine Embassy in Egypt is finding ways to supply them with food.

Affected Pinoys can reach out to the embassy through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PHinEgypt/ or WhatsApp at (+20) 122 7436 472.

Clashes between the Sudanese army and paramilitaries, which started over the weekend, have killed 270 people and injured 2,600, according to Sudan's health ministry.

Thousands of residents had fled from Khartoum where witnesses reported bodies in the streets.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced he would meet Thursday with the heads of the African Union, the Arab League and regional bloc the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, his spokesman told reporters.

The violence erupted on Saturday between forces of the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo who commands the RSF.

It followed a bitter dispute between them over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army — a key condition for a final deal aimed at restoring Sudan's democratic transition.

Heavy gunfire resounded and deafening explosions rattled buildings in Khartoum — a city of five million people — as thick black smoke rose from buildings around the army headquarters. —with Agence France-Presse/KBK, GMA Integrated News