Türkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has discussed the evacuation of Turkish nationals with his acting counterpart in Sudan, which should take place in the coming hours, according to an announcement by the ministry.
“The issue of ensuring that our citizens in Sudan can safely leave the country and return to their homeland was brought to the agenda by our President and Minister, in their contacts with their Sudanese counterparts and in meetings with some third countries,” the ministry said earlier
“The necessary preparations were carried out in coordination by our Khartoum Embassy and our Ministry.”
According to Anadolu news agency, Cavusoglu held a phone call with his acting counterpart from Sudan, Ali al-Sadiq, to address the evacuation of Turkish nationals.
In a separate social media post, the Turkish embassy in Khartoum advised citizens of Türkiye to gather at three designated locations for the possible evacuation.
As of Sunday, the clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group, RSF - which just entered their second week - have killed more than 400 people and left thousands wounded, according to the World Health Organization.
Those who are trapped in the capital are coping with shortages of electricity and food, as well as a reported internet outage.
Fighting also raged in Omdurman, the city across the Nile from Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, residents reported on Sunday. The violence came despite a declared truce that was to coincide with the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
“We did not see such a truce,” said Amin al-Tayed from his home near state television headquarters in Omdurman.
He said heavy gunfire and thundering explosions rocked the city. “The battles did not stop,” he said.
Thick black smoke also filled the sky over Khartoum's airport. The paramilitary group battling the Sudanese armed forces claimed the military unleashed airstrikes on the upscale neighbourhood of Kafouri, north of Khartoum. There was no immediate comment from the army.
The development comes after the US troops announced they are carrying out a precarious evacuation of American embassy staffers in the African nation of Sudan, shuttering the US embassy there as fighting rages for a ninth day, according to a senior Biden administration official.
US troops safely left Sudanese airspace after airlifting American embassy personnel out of the capital, Khartoum, a second US official confirmed.
President Joe Biden ordered American troops to evacuate embassy personnel after receiving a recommendation earlier on Saturday from his national security team with no end in sight to the fighting, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the mission.
The evacuation order was believed to apply to about 70 Americans.
The US State Department has suspended operations at the embassy due to the dire security situation.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Sunday called for dialogue between the warring military factions as the bloody outbreak of violence entered a second week.
"Unfortunately the situation remains grave in Sudan.
"That is why I am renewing my call for the violence to stop as quickly as possible and for dialogue to resume," the pontiff said during traditional Sunday prayers in Saint Peter's Square in Rome.
"I invite everyone to pray for our Sudanese brothers and sisters," he added.
Deadly conflict
Fighting in Sudan between forces loyal to two top generals, Abdel Fattah al Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has put that nation at risk of collapse and could have consequences far beyond its borders.
The fighting, which began as Sudan attempted to transition to democracy, already has left millions trapped in urban areas, sheltering from gunfire, explosions and looters.
Army chief General Burhan said on Saturday he would facilitate the evacuation of American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan after speaking with the leaders of several countries that had requested help.
The rival Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, in a Twitter posting said it cooperated with US forces.
The US evacuation planning got underway in earnest on Monday after the embassy convoy was attacked in Khartoum. The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that US troops were being moved to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti ahead of a possible evacuation.
Saudi Arabia announced the successful repatriation of some of its citizens on Saturday, sharing footage of Saudi nationals and other foreigners welcomed with chocolate and flowers as they stepped off an apparent evacuation ship at the Saudi port of Jeddah.
Source: TRTworld.com
