The United Nations has said that about 700 staff, International NGOs (INGOs), embassy personnel and their dependents have reached Port Sudan by road over ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed forces and the Rapid Support forces.
In a statement released from the United Nations in Sudan on Monday, said further that it has temporarily relocated its internationally-recruited personnel from Khartoum to Port Sudan for onward evacuation to neighboring countries.
It stated that this neighboring countries is where the UN personnel will be working remotely, as measure to reduce risks to the safety of its staff, personnel while continuing to deliver assistance to the people of Sudan.
It said that 43 UN internationally- recruited and 29 INGOs staff have already been evacuated from El Geneina (West Darfur) and Zalingei (Central Darfur) to Chad as other operations are ongoing or planned.
“Small number of internationally recruited personnel, including the Special Representative of Secretary- General, Volker Perthes, will remain in Sudan and will continue to work towards a resolution to the current crisis and returning to the UN mandated tasks”, it added.
While the UN is also taking necessary measures to protect Sudanese staff members and their families, exploring every possible avenue to support them. The UN in Sudan has 877 international staff and 3,272 national staff, for a total of 4,149.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Sudan said, “Our presence on the ground has been adjusted in light of the security situation but let me assure you that there is no plan or thinking of the UN leaving Sudan.”
Adding that, “We are committed to staying in Sudan and supporting the Sudanese people in every way possible. We will do everything we can to save lives while protecting the safety of our personnel”, Volker Perthes said.
He promised to continue using his good offices, in close coordination with partners, to deescalate tensions and bring an end to hostilities in Sudan.
The conflict between the two forces, which has claimed over 400 lives with about 3,500 injured, displaced thousands of civilians who fled Khartoum, as the violence, which started on April 8, entered its 14th day on Saturday.
Until recently, the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel al- Burhan, and the RSF paramilitary Group, headed by General Mohamed Dagalo, were allies, worked together in 2019 in a popular uprising that overthrew Sudan’s brutal dictator, Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for three decades.