German military plane with 101 evacuees from Sudan lands in Berlin
A drone view shows smoke rising over buildings a week after fighting began in North Khartoum, as seen from Omdurman, Sudan. - REUTERS
BERLIN: A German air force plane with 101 people evacuated from Sudan landed in Berlin early on Monday, as countries rushed to get their citizens out of Khartoum while a shaky ceasefire held in the Sudanese capital.
Sudan's sudden slide into conflict between the army and a paramilitary group called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has stranded thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers.
The Luftwaffe has flown out 311 people so far from an airfield near Khartoum, the German military said, and the first batch was brought back to Berlin on Monday aboard an Airbus A321 from the Al Azrak base in Jordan, which is being used as a hub for the evacuation operation.
The German military did not provide a break-down of how many of those evacuated were German citizens or nationals from other countries.
The fighting in Sudan has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country, where millions of people have been left without access to basic services.
At least 420 people have been killed since the fighting broke out on April 15, four years after long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir was toppled.
The army and RSF jointly staged a coup in 2021 but fell out during negotiations to integrate the two groups and form a civilian government, and their rivalry has raised the risk of a wider conflict that could draw in outside powers.
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