MKN to evacuate Malaysians if crisis in Sudan worsens - Saifuddin

KUANTAN: The food supply for 50 Malaysians in Sudan is sufficient for a period of two weeks, and their condition is reported to be good and safe, said Foreign Minister, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

He said that Wisma Putra was closely monitoring the latest developments in Sudan, and the National Security Council (MKN) was ready to carry out an evacuation process in the event that the situation worsened.

"Malaysians there have made the necessary preparations, including storing food supplies, and we are waiting for the latest report from the Malaysian Embassy in Khartoum.

"Currently, communication is quite difficult because all communication platforms have been cut off. However, we were informed that our embassy managed to contact all Malaysians there, while 20 of them are already at the embassy," he said.

Saifuddin, who is also Indera Mahkota MP, said this at a press conference after attending the Deepavali 2021 programme at the Malaysian Hindu Sangam Association Kuantan office here today, which involved distributing traditional Indian cakes to the needy.

He said that the security aspect of Malaysians in Sudan was also an important agenda item in two meetings with the Sudanese Charge d' Affaires in Kuala Lumpur.

Regarding the arbitration process activated by Petronas, involving the company's assets in Sudan that were seized, Saifuddin said the process was still ongoing in London.

International media reported that the Sudanese army in the early morning of Oct 25 had successfully launched a coup, following the uprising of the people of the country.

Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, Information Minister, Hamza Baloul and the governor of Khartoum, Ayman Khalid, as well as several senior government officials, were detained by the military.

The Islamic state in east Africa is in turmoil after the fall of President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled as a result of a coup in 1989 before being overthrown by the military in 2019.

-- BERNAMA