Global Courant 2023-04-26 08:15:44
Approximately 189 Turks were evacuated by Turkish Airlines passenger plane from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, where they came from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, by land.
The evacuated Turks were greeted with flowers at Istanbul Airport. (AA)
Reuters footage showed that the first Turkish civilians evacuated from Sudan arrived in Istanbul.
Approximately 189 Turks were evacuated from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, where they came by land from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, by a passenger plane of Turkish Airlines.
Several more flights were expected later on Wednesday to evacuate the remaining Turkish nationals crossing from Sudan to Ethiopia.
Huseyin Eser, an evacuated Turk, said: “It was an incredibly difficult journey. It was very difficult, no one can get out of[Sudan]right now without the help of a government.”
Eyüp Kazım Yak, another Turkish citizen who fled Sudan, said: “(The situation in Sudan) is extremely critical. I don’t think the conflicts will end anytime soon. The situation is dire, we pray for (Sudan).”
According to Turkish diplomatic sources, more than 1,600 Turkish citizens were transported by buses from Sudan to Ethiopia.
fragile truce
As more people fled the capital, Khartoum, clashes flared up again in Sudan late Tuesday despite the warring factions’ declaration of a ceasefire.
The country’s main Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed on a 72-hour ceasefire that will begin Tuesday, after US and Saudi Arabian-mediated negotiations.
The migration of embassies and aid workers from Africa’s third-largest country has raised fears that the remaining civilians will be in greater danger if the shaky three-day ceasefire agreement that expires on Thursday is not sustained.
The conflicts have killed at least 459 people and injured more than 4,000 in Africa’s third-largest country, according to UN agencies.
The conflict has paralyzed hospitals and other essential services and has left many people stranded in their homes with dwindling food and water supplies.
The UN special envoy to Sudan said Tuesday that the shaky truce appears to be partially underway, but there is no sign that the warring parties are ready for serious negotiations.
This is what “both thought it was possible to achieve a military victory over the other,” Ambassador Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council.
“This is a miscalculation.”
Source: Reuters
