ISLAMABAD: The evacuation of Pakistan nationals from war-torn Sudan would not have been possible without the help of Saudi Arabia, Islamabad’s envoy to Khartoum said on Monday as fighting continued between rival factions in the African and Arab country.
Thousands of foreign nationals have been evacuated from Sudan since clashes broke out in mid-April between the Sudanese army and paramilitary group Rapid Support Force. Since then, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured despite multiple cease-fires aimed at halting the fighting.
More than 1,000 Pakistan nationals were among those evacuated from Sudan, with Saudi Arabia having played a major role in the massive international rescue efforts.
“I don’t believe that the evacuation from Sudan would have been possible without the assistance of Saudi Arabia,” the Pakistani Ambassador to Sudan Meer Behrose Regi told Arab News on Monday.
“Without their help, it would have been impossible to transport people from Port Sudan to Jeddah.”
With the most intense fighting taking place in the capital Khartoum, many evacuees traveled to the relative safety of Port Sudan, from where many foreign nationals boarded Saudi ships to cross the Red Sea to Jeddah before flying back to their home countries.
“We extend our thanks to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who facilitated all Pakistanis and other missions from Port Sudan to Jeddah, providing them with free, five-star hotel accommodation,” Regi said.
As fighting continued in Sudan, Pakistan’s mission has been operating out of Port Sudan in a makeshift office with limited personnel, the envoy said, as around 300 Pakistanis were still in the country.
Regi, who returned to Pakistan in early May along with other staff due to safety concerns in Sudan, noted that he would be rejoining his mission later this week.
“We are currently assisting three to four people (Pakistanis) daily who are coming to Port Sudan,” he added.
“Our embassy in Port Sudan is not closed, it remains open in a camp office and the staff are already in Port Sudan, working and facilitating all Pakistanis.”