a hundred people evacuated by France

France has begun an operation to evacuate its nationals, while fierce fighting takes place between the regular army and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces. These evacuations are complex, say the Quai d’Orsay and the Ministry of the Armed Forces. Two planes took off from Khartoum in the direction of Djibouti.

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Two hundred passengers are on board these flights. They are mainly French, diplomatic agents or nationals. There are also Germans, Swiss, British, Nigerians, Moroccans, Egyptians or Ethiopians.

250 French people on site

Flights are scheduled for Monday morning because not everyone to be evacuated has yet arrived at the airport. The Quai d’Orsay remains very cautious because difficulties may occur until the end. This is notably why airways are preferred to land routes, which are too uncertain from a logistical point of view.

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In addition, there is no confirmation concerning an injured among the French evacuees. Both sides in the conflict blame each other for the shooting at the convoy.

The French community in Sudan counts “250 people”said Anne-Claire Legendre, spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay, on franceinfo on Sunday, “but not all nationals wish to leave the country”, because of family ties on the spot for example. France will maintain contact with them via their “crisis center”assures the spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay, and can rely on its armed forces deployed in the region, including in Djibouti, explains Anne-Claire Legendre, recalling that France calls for an end to the fighting.