UAE Evacuates Citizens And Others From Sudan

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The United Arab Emirates evacuated its citizens, other nationalities and humanitarian cases from Sudan by plane yesterday, part of the flow of people fleeing a conflict which broke out two weeks ago.
Around 128 evacuees, including British and US citizens, landed in the capital Abu Dhabi where they were greeted by officials. The UAE will host the evacuees until they can be transferred to their own countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said.
“Khartoum is starting to be empty. We no longer felt secure, people were breaking into homes, they would break and loot,” said Nagham Hayati, a Sudanese woman who had left Sudan on the plane.
Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded in Sudan since April 15 when a long-simmering power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict.
“The situation is very bad, we didn't expect it... There was fire in the streets, fire in the houses, in the cars. After two, three days of this, the RSF had a shortage of food, water and power, so they started to invade homes,” said Sudanese national Marwan Ghandour on landing in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE said it was committed to serving the interests of the Sudanese people, stressing the importance of intensifying ceasefire efforts and a return to an agreed political framework.
Until the fighting broke out, Sudan had been engaged in an internationally-backed transition toward democratic elections.
IRANIANS ESCAPE
The first Iranian evacuees to escape the Sudan conflict through Saudi Arabia arrived yesterday in Jeddah, relieved that their country has settled its differences with the regional rival, AFP reported.
The 65 Iranians were among about 1,900 people on the latest boat to arrive from Port Sudan as the battle between rival Sudanese forces entered a third week.
Saudi Arabia has so far organised evacuations for about 5,000 people from 96 countries, according to the foreign ministry.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to end a seven-year diplomatic rupture on March 10, and four Iranian diplomats were on hand when the latest ship arrived at the King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah. Merhdad Malekzadh, a 28-year-old Iranian who had been living in Khartoum since he was a child, said no one had expected the fighting to become so intense,and his escape had also been a surprise.
“Because of our nationality, we had never imagined we would come to Saudi Arabia when we were evacuated,” said Malekzadh, whose family runs an oil lubricants business in the Sudanese capital.“Fortunately, they really helped us. They put their differences aside and worked together. They saved lives,” he added.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have not yet opened embassies after their new diplomatic agreement, but Hassan Zarnegar Abarghoui, one of the Iranian diplomats waiting at the base, said his government was grateful for the“humanitarian co-operation” shown by the Saudi authorities.
More than 510 people have been killed since fighting erupted on April 15 between the forces of Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

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