Ugandans have been successfully evacuated from Khartoum, the epicentre of the conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and regular Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Their security is of paramount importance and this news site will not reveal their location until they land in Uganda.
SoftPower News has it on good authority they are out of danger.
“I’m happy all Ugandans are out of danger. Alhamdulilah,” Dr Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to Sudan, told SoftPower News on Monday afternoon.
According to a statement released by the office of the ambassador, four buses carrying 208 Ugandan evacuees set off Sunday from the Embassy of Uganda located at Garden City, in Khartoum.
“First, I thank the Almighty God for delivering the Ugandan evacuees through the risky area. I also thank H.E. President Yoweri Museveni, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Secretary and the gallant Embassy Staff, particularly, Brig. Gen. Karara, Mr David Wamono and the Director General, External Security Organisation (ESO), Ambassador Joseph Ecwet, in a special way,” Ambassador Dr Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, Uganda’s Ambassador to Khartoum, Republic of Sudan.
“Special commendations go out to Gen. Katumba Wamala, my colleagues, the Ambassadors from Uganda and elsewhere and staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who have rendered support in various ways,” said Ambassador Ssemuddu.
According to a statement released by the Office of the Ambassador, of the 208 persons aboard the buses, 110 are men, including male children and 98 are women, including female children.
The evacuees are made up of Diplomats, Students and members of the working community.
Also onboard the buses are non-Ugandan citizens who obtained Ugandan visas: 2 Sudanese, 3 Tanzanians and 1 Zimbabwean married to a Ugandan.
It is indicated in the statement, that a number of expected evacuees did not join the group. These included: patients admitted at Salaam Hospital, Khartoum; individuals stuck in various states, but who had earlier indicated their readiness to travel; and some who preferred to stay back. Others are individuals who left Sudan through a UN convoy via Port Sudan and through South Sudan.
Ambassador Ssemuddu has said that a comprehensive assessment of persons who are still in Sudan would be made and communication about their status relayed to the country.
An estimated 300 Ugandans are understood to have been in Sudan at the outbreak of hostilities, on April 15, 2023, following the outbreak of clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
In a gesture of utmost care for all Ugandan citizens, Ambassador Ssemuddu says the Embassy turned down an offer from the UN to evacuate diplomats, preferring to wait for an arrangement that covered all Ugandan nationals who would be willing to leave the country.
“We have seen big countries which only evacuated their diplomats. But with support from H.E. the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Embassy staff, we made it happen,” said Ambassador Ssemuddu.
While the ceasefire has not been fully observed by the belligerent forces, as skirmishes were reported in major flash points of Khartoum and other areas, this hasn’t stopped countries from evacuating their citizens.
The United States led the way, evacuating about 100 of its citizens, drawing on its mighty military assets in the region, mainly the regional base in Djibouti, with support from the governments of Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. It was the most daring rescue mission and involved directly extracting US citizens from the Embassy compound in Khartoum using three CH47 a.k.a. Chinook helicopters, and 100 commandos. The helicopters are mainly used by US Special Forces, including the famous Navy Seals.
Other countries that have successfully evacuated their citizens include France, Italy, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The Italy/ Spanish evacuation mission helped evacuate citizens of Argentina, Colombia, Ireland, Portugal, Poland, Mexico, Venezuela and Sudan. Other African countries are in the process of evacuating their citizens, mainly through the Airport at Port Sudan.
Troops loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have been locked in deadly battles with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. Both sides have ignored appeals from regional bodies and the wider international community for an immediate ceasefire.
