DFA: 50 Filipinos evacuated from Khartoum, Sudan

Fifty Filipinos were evacuated out of Khartoum, Sudan on Monday night amid the ongoing clashes between the Sudanese military and a paramilitary group, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the first batch of Filipino evacuees left Khartoum by land at 8 p.m. (Manila time) yesterday.

From there, the Filipinos were expected to reach Aswan in Egypt, and then its capital, Cairo.

The DFA said Monday that 156 Filipinos in Sudan have sought the Philippine government's help for their repatriation.

Earlier, three Filipinos, through their employers and the Saudi Arabian government, were evacuated from the conflict-torn country to Jeddah.

The violence in Sudan erupted between the forces of the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: the army chief and his deputy, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Monday it agreed to a US-mediated 72 hour truce with the Sudanese Army starting at midnight to facilitate humanitarian efforts. — Giselle Ombay/RSJ, GMA Integrated News