The Bundeswehr is making preparations for a new attempt to evacuate German citizens from Sudan. “The Bundeswehr is preparing ways to repatriate German citizens and other people to be protected from Sudan,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense at the request of the German Press Agency. “The priority is to protect our citizens in Sudan,” he said.
He did not give details of the scope, personnel and material of possible evacuation forces of the Bundeswehr. On Wednesday, an attempt at a diplomatic evacuation using Air Force aircraft but without a major deployment of soldiers was canceled because the security situation in the embattled Sudanese capital Khartoum was too dangerous for such an operation.
According to the current status, it is about rescuing a low three-digit number of German citizens, but they are more than 150, as a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office said. You contact people regularly, but the problems are increasing day by day. “Not only is the supply situation of the people bad, many still have no electricity. In the meantime, of course, the mobile phone batteries are running out, are used up,” said the spokesman. “So it’s becoming increasingly difficult to reach people on site at all. And with that, of course, the need and the urgency continue to increase.”
Together with international partners, efforts are being made to achieve a ceasefire, and perhaps the celebrations at the end of the month of Ramadan would offer a “further window” for this, according to the foreign ministry spokesman. Talks are also being held with the Gulf States, which traditionally have had influence in Sudan.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Development (BMZ) said that there were a total of 118 employees in Sudan, 15 of whom were international experts and 103 local employees. “According to current knowledge, everyone is fine. We are in contact with everyone.” As a result of the fighting, there was also damage to facilities of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). “But this is collateral damage in connection with the fighting, not any targeted attacks.”
The BMZ spokeswoman said that she knew nothing of requests from local employees to leave the country. A third of the Sudanese are dependent on international aid, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. “And our goal is also that this work can of course be continued for the benefit of the Sudanese.”
According to its spokesman, the foreign office is also in contact with its local employees, who are all doing well. When asked about a possible evacuation, he said there was initially a legal order to help Germans abroad. “And they are the focus of our planning. And I’m not going to speculate about anything else here and now.”
