Indonesia Aims to Evacuate Citizens in Conflict-stricken Sudan
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20 April 2023 19:26 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi in Thursday’s press conference announced that the government is attempting to reach out to Khartoum in Sudan after the region had been shattered by a deadly conflict that sparked last week. She has also announced the evacuation of Indonesians who currently reside in Sudan.
According to data sourced from the Indonesian Embassy in Khartoum, there are currently 1,209 Indonesians residing in Sudan.
Retno stated that a humanitarian pause in Sudan would be the key to conducting an evacuation and the continuation of aid. "Coordination at the technical level will continue to be carried out," she said.
Minister Retno said she has coordinated with five Indonesian representatives overseas, namely the Indonesian Embassies in Khartoum, Cairo, Riyadh, Addis Ababa, and the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, in bringing this evacuation to immediate effect.
Military conflict between Sudan's national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and surrounding areas has been raging since Saturday, April 15. According to WHO data on Wednesday, April 19, the conflict has killed at least 300 people in Sudan and injured nearly 3,000 others.
On Tuesday, the Sudanese army agreed to a temporary ceasefire with the RSF for 24 hours starting at 6 pm but was abruptly canceled on Wednesday.
Retno also said Indonesia through its Permanent Representative in New York has asked the UN Security Council to intervene in urging the warring parties in Sudan to immediately impose a ceasefire.
The power struggle in Sudan has derailed the transition to civilian rule and raised fears of a wider conflict. Fighting in the capital Khartoum and the neighboring towns of Omdurman and Bahri since Saturday has been considered by many to be the worst in decades.
The Indonesian citizen protection team together with the Indonesian Embassy in Khartoum have so far succeeded in evacuating 43 Indonesians who were trapped in the battleground to a safe house provided by the Indonesian representative. According to Retno, the Indonesian Embassy and Indonesian community organizations have distributed food and logistics to Indonesian citizens in need.
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