Ops Sudan safely transports 30 Malaysians and 26 others to Port Sudan - Zambry

PUTRAJAYA: All 30 Malaysians stranded in Khartoum, Sudan, successfully arrived at Port Sudan at 2.07 pm (8.08 pm Malaysia time) on Monday, after a 30-hour journey covering a distance of 1,233 km.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir in a statement on Tuesday said Malaysia's Sudan Ops Special Forces (TF) also brought out 26 other citizens with all of them in a healthy and safe condition.

There was one Filipino, six Cambodians, 14 Singaporeans, one Thai, two Americans, one Palestinian, and one Sudanese among the other nationals.

He clarified that the two Malaysians who were not evacuated were individuals who worked for the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in Abyei, and that their evacuation will be handled by the UN.

"Additionally, we are attempting to evacuate all these 56 people out of Port Sudan through two options, either by air (special leased aircraft) or by sea (ship).

"This depends on which option will get the fastest and immediate approval from the relevant parties," he said.

"Together we pray that the process of removing them from Sudan will be accomplished as quickly as possible so that they will be able to return to their homeland safely," he added.

So far, more than 400 people have been reported killed and more than 3,500 injured since the armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out on April 15.

--BERNAMA