Evacuations continue, Defense takes Dutch people from Sudan with Hercules transport aircraft | Abroad

The evacuation in Sudan was carried out by Dutch marines. In recent days, the possibilities for an evacuation of Dutch people have been explored, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On Sunday it became clear that a time slot at the airport became available. The ministry informed the Dutch in Sudan of this and kept in close contact with them about the transfer to the airport.

The people evacuated from Sudan are being met in Jordan by employees of the consular support team (SCOT). The SCOT is a team of Foreign Affairs employees that can be deployed quickly in an area where many Dutch people need help. They will later be brought to the Netherlands from Jordan. In the meantime, the Ministry of Defense and Foreign Affairs are continuing to work on evacuating people who were not yet on the first flight from Sudan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A number of Dutch people already landed on a French flight in the East African country of Djibouti on Sunday. They were taken care of there by two employees of the SCOT. A Foreign Affairs spokeswoman could not say how many people were involved in the night from Sunday to Monday. The two SCOT employees arrived in Djibouti on Saturday evening and set up a reception area for the evacuees there, among other things.

Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) announced on Sunday that a first group of Dutch people had been evacuated from Sudan. He also used a French aircraft and flew to Jordan. According to Hoekstra, there would be a “handful” of Dutch people on board the aircraft. Whether they have now arrived in Jordan, the spokeswoman could not say on the night of Sunday and Monday.

The evacuations are not without risk. “The Dutch must decide for themselves whether they want and can make use of it,” says Foreign Affairs. According to the ministry, it is “unpredictable” how long it will be possible to evacuate people.

Some Dutch people in Sudan have informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that they cannot come to the airport because they have no transport. Others do not dare to go to the airport because of the poor security situation in the capital Khartoum. A number of Dutch people do not want to leave their families behind.

The fighting in Sudan entered its second week on Saturday. The regular government army led by General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan is fighting General Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In 2021, the two generals seized power in a joint coup, but relations between the two men have since been disrupted.

At least 400 people have been killed in the fighting, including 256 civilians, according to the Sudanese doctors’ union. Thousands of people have been injured.