Government in overdrive to remove South Africans from Sudan conflict

Days of fear and anxiety for South Africans caught in the crossfire of fighting between forces loyal to two rival generals in Khartoum are coming to an end as the fighting intensifies.

According to defence analyst Dean Wingrin, a South African Air Force (SAAF) C-130BZ Hercules left Air Force Base Waterkloof outside Pretoria yesterday. It has not been confirmed whether the SAAF was on its way to Sudan.

‘They are moving out’

Department of international relations and cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela confirmed the process to evacuate South Africans from Sudan had begun, adding they were on their way out of Khartoum.

“I can’t disclose the security and logistics of the operation. But they are moving out. We are in constant contact with them,” he said.

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“The fighting hasn’t stopped, so it remains a dangerous operation. The airport is closed and routes are not risk-free. The government is doing everything possible to get our nationals out.”

Monyela said Khartoum was a no-fly zone after the airport was damaged and closed.

“Our priority is to get everyone out,” he said.

It is believed an unconfirmed number of South Africans had managed to catch a bus and evacuate Khartoum after the conflicts in Sudan continued to intensify, shutting down airports and other state buildings.

Challenging time for South Africans in Sudan

Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman said an undisclosed number of South Africans had made it out of Sudan.

“Fortunately, we have managed to organise buses to move the South Africans to the airport. The question was which one?”

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Sooliman said Gift of the Givers had been requested to help evacuate the Tanzania nationals as well.

“A contingent made up of diplomats, business people, teachers and workers made their way to the bus on its way to Egypt and others made it to Port Sudan,” he said.

“Some parts of the city were not passable; some took different routes to get to different destinations. Some of them left with the companies they worked for to Djibouti. It seems some of them went to South Sudan.”

Sooliman said it was a tough and challenging time for South Africans caught in the conflict.

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SA company Solenta Aviation reportedly lost an Embraer ATR 72-500 (ZS-AFR) passenger airplane, apparently leased by the United Nations, according to planespotters.net. The site recorded the airframe of the plane as destroyed on 21 April. Solenta declined to comment.

‘No political repercussions’

Signal Risk director of analysis Ryan Cumming said the conflict didn’t impact South Africa.

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“There are no political repercussions from the conflict. But you never know because rival countries were backing rival commanders,” he said. He agreed with the government’s decision to evacuate South Africans from Sudan.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za