Nairobi — Kenya has launched an operation to evacuate its citizens from Sudan due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has now entered its second week.
Kenya now joins other countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Canada who have already evacuated some of their citizens.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has announced that neighboring countries including South Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have granted permission for Kenyan planes to overfly their airspaces to evacuate stranded Kenyans in Sudan.
He thanked the governments of South Sudan and Ethiopia for heeding Kenya's request to allow Kenyan citizens to cross their borders and reach safety.
Mutua revealed that the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has three active evacuation programs in place.
They have already facilitated the crossing of 29 Kenyan students to Ethiopia, where they will fly to Gondor and then to Addis Ababa before heading to Nairobi.
Additionally, a Kenya Airforce plane has been deployed to evacuate a group of 18 students currently traveling by road to the South Sudan border.
According to Mutua, a larger group of Kenyans will be evacuated via two aircraft from Port Sudan to Jeddah, and then travel to Nairobi by Kenya Airways.
He estimates that "300-400 Kenyans, if not more," will be evacuated through this method. He commended the Kenya Foreign and Diaspora staff in their missions in various countries and the multi-agency teams in Nairobi for the seamless coordination.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The World Health Organization reported that the fighting has resulted in more than 400 fatalities and thousands of injuries since the war broke out last Saturday.
Last week, President William Ruto urged the warring parties to comply fully with the resolution of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Heads of State Summit held on Sunday. Ruto called on General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to immediately stop fighting and allow dialogue to take place.
The President expressed his concern over the worsening situation in Sudan, which he said threatens the stability of the region and the entire continent.
"Kenya is deeply alarmed that a misunderstanding over a single outstanding item in the Political Framework Agreement, namely the timeframe for integrating the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), has degenerated into violent conflict," said Ruto.
