Ethiopia helps 61 countries evacuate citizens from Sudan

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | The government of Ethiopia said it has helped 61 countries evacuate their citizens from Sudan.

“The government of Ethiopia has extended the necessary support and collaborated with 61 countries worldwide to withdraw their citizens from Sudan through its territory,” the Ethiopian News Agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Meles Alem as saying Thursday.

He said the government has provided licenses to 75 flight services, allowing the countries to evacuate their citizens from neighboring Sudan via Ethiopian air space.

“The move is in line with the principles of the international humanitarian services and aims at promoting Ethiopian foreign relations,” Alem said.

So far, 7,700 people, including 3,517 Ethiopian nationals, have crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan, the spokesman said.

Alem said the government is following the safety and security of Ethiopian migrants in Sudan through its embassy there and the recently established national task force in charge of evacuating Ethiopian nationals from Sudan.

He said Ethiopia believes that the conflict in Sudan needs to be solved by the Sudanese people and through peaceful negotiations under the umbrella of the African Union.

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

So far, the conflict has left more than 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded in Sudan, while thousands of Sudanese citizens have been displaced or forced to seek refuge in safe areas or neighboring countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia and Chad.