Georgian citizens evacuated from Sudan transferred to neighbouring state - FM

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Tuesday said the 33 Georgian citizens evacuated from Sudan amid fierce clashes between military and paramilitary groups on Monday had been transferred to a ”safe location” in a neighbouring state. 

In his media comments, the official said the Government had made “great efforts” to transport the employees of two Georgian-based airlines from the Sudanese capital Khartoum, an epicentre of clashes that have left more than 400 killed and thousands injured since April 15. 

He explained the situation had been “very chaotic” and it was difficult to identify the individuals and organisations ensuring aid in evacuations. 

The Government took all actions to bring out our nationals out of Sudan and transfer them to a safe location in a neighbouring country. It was a very complicated process. We are expecting them to return to homeland very soon”, Darchiashvili said, adding the evacuations facilitated by foreign organisations and partner states also included other nationals, Ukrainian citizens among them. 

The Georgian foreign office on Monday said it had ensured the evacuation of the personnel of Geo Sky and Myway airlines - who had been trapped in Sudan since April 15 - to a safe location at the Sudan-Egypt border, and pledged their safe return to Georgia in the “next few days”. 

• Foreign Ministry launches evacuations of Georgian citizens from Sudan

The power struggle in Sudan pits General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the country’s armed forces, against General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. The former allies jointly organised a military coup in October 2021.