“It was unreal“testifies Chloé NGazi, one of the players of the US Orléans stranded in Sudan for almost a week. With their coach, they have left Khartoum, the capital at the end of the afternoon on Saturday 30 October. “We waited at the hotel for the soldiers to come and pick us up, they arrived with hoods“she said this night, after having set foot in Algeria”they were with guns, on a pickup. The ambassador’s car was waiting for us in front of the bus with the flag of Algeria“.
On the road to the airport, she realizes the situation: “the streets were empty, there were only police roadblocks, we saw police with sticks“.
A departure postponed several times
After waiting for their special flight and several hours on the plane, it’s a relief: “we are very happy to be home“. A large-scale demonstration near the capital on Saturday against the coup d’etat raised fears of a final postponement of their departure.”it was the emotional lift“Chloé NGazi explained to us.
Since Sunday October 24, five female US Orleans players and their coach, Farid Kebsi, were stranded in coup-stricken Sudan and confined to their hotel in Khartoum. The girls, in the national team with Algeria, were to play this Tuesday evening the return match of the African Cup of Nations against Sudan. The match had been postponed, after the takeover by the military.