Around 36 Australians Evacuated Amid Sudan Civil Strife

Evacuees rest onboard a Saudi vessel as it travels from Port of Sudan to Jeddah on April 30, 2023. Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images

Thirty-six Australians have been rescued by the Australian air force, along with dozens of citizens from 15 partner nations, as part of an international effort to evacuate citizens from Sudan.

It comes after the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan warned that fighting between rival groups could spark a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Penny Wong said the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was involved in the international effort to help airlift Australians and others to safety in Cyprus.

A picture taken on April 30, 2023, shows a member of the US military assisting US nationals fleeing war-torn Sudan in boarding an evacuation vessel in Port Sudan amid ongoing deadly clashes between Army forces and paramilitaries. (Photo by AFP) Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images

Currently, Wong said that 191 Australians and their families have been evacuated from the war-torn country amid an ongoing ceasefire that has had constant truce violations. But she noted that Australians were still on the ground with consular assistance being offered.

“The security situation in Sudan is very dangerous, and it is volatile,” Wong told ABC Radio on May 3. “The security situation is worsening.

“We have been doing all we can to assist Australians with the support of our partners, bearing in mind we don’t have people on the ground in an embassy in Sudan.”

Australians Remaining in Sudan Urged to Contact DFAT

Wong urged any Australians currently in Sudan to register with the foreign affairs department.

“We are doing all we can in circumstances where we do not have anybody on the ground for the Department of Foreign Affairs. We’ve deployed additional officers to neighbouring countries to assist people once they have exited Sudan.”

The minister noted that while flights out of the country are possible, Australia has been focusing on using ferries departing from the Port of Sudan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, where consular officers are staying.

The minister said the Australian government was grateful to partner nations the United States, Eygpt, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates for their assistance.

UN Warns 800,000 Could Flee Sudan Conflict

The UN has said they expect the conflict could propel up to 800,000 people to flee the country as clashes between the Sudanese military and rival paramilitary military faction, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), continue to erupt in the capital despite a supposed 72-hour extension to a ceasefire.

This comes as rival factions continually violate a previous ceasefire.

South Sudan’s foreign ministry said in a statement on May 2 that mediation championed by its president, Salva Kiir, had led both sides to agree a weeklong truce from May 4 to May 11 and to name envoys for peace talks. But it remains to be seen how both parties will proceed. The current ceasefire was due to expire on May 3.

The Sudanese Ministry of Health has estimated that around 528 people have been killed in the fighting, and a further 4,599 are estimated to be wounded, reports Turkish media agency Anadolu Agency. However, the actual toll is expected to be much higher.

On May 1, Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the UN, said that more than 100,000 refugees have fled to neighbouring countries like Egypt and Chad, with most being women and children.

The country’s population numbers 46 million.

Smoke billows over buildings in Khartoum on May 1, 2023, as deadly clashes between rival generals' forces have entered their third week. AFP via Getty Images

“In Sudan, the fighting continues to exact a heavy toll on civilians. The World Health Organization warns that many will die due to a lack of essential services and disease outbreaks, Haq said.

“The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan since the conflict erupted more than two weeks ago.”

Haq said that currently, medical stockpiles are running critically low in areas ravaged by the fighting—including in the capital, Khartoum, and West and Central Darfur.

He also noted that the price of essential goods—including staples like fuel, fresh water and basic foods—had risen by at least 40 to 60 percent in some areas.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and partners are scaling up relief efforts as border crossings from Sudan increase, with the UNHCR providing roughly 70,000 core relief items from global stockpiles for Chad, while in Egypt, the UN and the Egyptian Red Crescent are delivering water, food, wheelchairs, hygiene and sanitary kits to new arrivals.

Reuters contributed to this report.