“Diplomatic Personnel Leave War-Torn Sudan: Belgium and Netherlands Assist in Evacuations amid Growing Crisis”

One of the eight evacuated Belgians is Wim Fransen. That is what Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) says on Radio 1. Fransen, the head of the European Union’s humanitarian mission in Sudan, was shot down in Khartoum last week. According to Foreign Affairs, there are still about thirty Belgians in Sudan, but many of them do not want to leave.

There were 32 evacuees on the first Dutch evacuation flight from Sudan, including fifteen Dutch people. A total of sixty Dutch people have safely left Sudan.

Initially, the United States tried to secure its diplomatic personnel in Sudan within its borders. About a hundred Americans were scattered in houses and apartments in the capital Khartoum, it wrote The New York Times this weekend. They were brought together in a few locations during the course of last week to simplify their protection. But it soon became apparent that it was difficult to provide them with food and energy. The US then decided to evacuate.

Helicopter flight

It was anything but obvious. Security at Khartoum airport could not be guaranteed. Sending a plane to pick everyone up was considered too dangerous. A trip overland to Port Sudan, a city 850 kilometers from Khartoum on the Red Sea, is also risky. The Americans then decided to send three helicopters, with about 100 special forces on board. They stayed in Khartoum for about an hour and left this weekend with almost 100 compatriots.

Many other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Turkey or Saudi Arabia, also announced evacuations this weekend. Images also surfaced of a long UN convoy that had nevertheless opted for the difficult road to Port Sudan.

“I am heartbroken,” said one of the UN staff members who were evacuated The Washington Post. ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever see my friends again. I feel so guilty leaving now.’

Janjaweed

The situation looks dire for the millions of Sudanese who remain behind. More than a week ago, tensions between two rival soldiers escalated in the country. General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo heads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that traces its origins to the Janjaweed militias that terrorized the Darfur region for years. General Abdel Fattah al-Boerhan is the head of the regular army.

Two years ago, the two soldiers together deposed a transitional government, which also included civilians. It had to prepare Sudan for elections, after dictator Omar al-Bashir was pushed aside in 2019 after street protests.

In December of last year, the two generals announced an agreement that was yet to result in a civilian administration. But they did not agree on the speed with which the RSF would be integrated into the army. They have been fighting that conflict with violence since April 15.

This threatens to lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. In Sudan, a country of 45 million inhabitants, one third of the population lives in poverty. Many aid organizations can no longer work there because it has become too dangerous. Healthcare is about to implode. Two-thirds of hospitals no longer function. In hospitals that are still open, doctors work by the light of smartphones. Depots with medicines are being looted. According to Doctors Without Borders, millions of Sudanese are without water and electricity.

No Internet

The so-called ‘resistance committees’, which have led the protest against Al-Bashir and his successors in recent years, have been trying in recent days to help compatriots in need. They warn people about dangerous escape routes via Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter. They try to help compatriots who cannot flee with medicines or telephone credit. But that is also not obvious. This weekend, watchdog Netblocks reported that the internet in Sudan is now almost completely down.

Numerous countries have called on the two warring generals in recent days to cease fighting. But the chances of that happening soon are considered slim. Many Sudanese do not believe in it. Many have tried to flee their capital and their country in recent days.