According to Der Spiegel, a German mission to evacuate 150 nationals from Sudan has been put on hold because of the violence in Khartoum, the country’s capital.
It claimed that early on Wednesday, the Luftwaffe air force had sent out three aircraft for the mission. The aircraft had initially landed in Greece to refuel.
Later, it was planned for the airplane to travel to Khartoum in order to transport hundreds of German diplomats, federal police officers, and relief workers.
According to reports, the mission was abandoned by the German soldiers due to escalating fighting and airstrikes in Khartoum.
As a result of the violence in Sudan, preparations to evacuate citizens from Kenya and Japan have been postponed.
On April 15, 2023, clashes broke out across Sudan, mainly in the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region, between rival factions of the country’s military government. As of 19 April, at least 300 people have been killed.
The fighting began with attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on key government sites. Airstrikes, artillery and heavy gunfire were reported across Sudan including in the capital Khartoum. As of 15 April 2023, both RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan claimed to control key government sites, including the general military headquarters, the Presidential Palace, Khartoum International Airport, the Army chief’s official residence and Sudan TV headquarters