Irish army to help evacuate citizens from Sudan

Report from BBC News

Sunday 23 April 2023, 8:24 PM GMT+1 - excerpts:

Irish army personnel to help evacuate citizens from Sudan

The conflict unfolding in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and other regions has led to evacuations

Personnel from the Irish Defence Forces will be deployed to help evacuate citizens from Sudan.

The measure was approved by the government on Sunday amid a worsening security situation in the African country.

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said it is in contact with more than 150 Irish citizens in Sudan.

Twelve armed forces personnel will initially be deployed to Djibouti, on the east African coast. [...]

The Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) will provide consular and other assistance to Irish citizens and their dependents being evacuated.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar [pictured] said the situation in Sudan's capital Khartoum had "got worse in the last few days, and violence is being reported across the city".

"The situation on the ground in Sudan remains extremely volatile and I wish the ECAT and Defence Forces team every success in this mission," he added.

The US and UK announced on Sunday that they had flown diplomats out of the country.

British diplomats and their families were evacuated from Sudan in a "complex and rapid" operation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed.

Mr Sunak said work was continuing to ensure the safety of British nationals who remain in Sudan.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said there were "specific threats and violence directed towards diplomats" which led to the decision to evacuate staff.

He said that by relocating the embassy to a nearby country, diplomats could provide more assistance to those in Sudan.

But he said the government's ability to evacuate other British nationals was "severely limited" until fighting between warring parties stopped.

UK citizens in Sudan are being urged to tell the Foreign Office where they are in case more help becomes available, and a hotline has been set up for those who need urgent help.

Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Japan and the Netherlands said they were also organising evacuations, starting on Sunday.

On Saturday, more than 150 people, mostly citizens of Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Canada were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah.

The World Health Organization says the fighting has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands. However, the death toll is believed to be much higher as people are struggling to get healthcare, as most of Khartoum's hospitals have been forced to close by the fighting.

View original: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/irish-army-personnel-help-evacuate-155748352.html

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Sudan's PM Hamdok, detained after coup, is home

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor:  Although I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the following report, I am posting it here because it provides some details about Sudan's Prime Minister Hamdok and his wife. Sadly, I have not found any reliable news about Mr Hamdok's cabinet colleagues, their current whereabouts and how they are being treated. I am reluctant to post this report here today but am confident that Mr Hamdok and his wife have been released safely. Reportedly, they were abducted and detained at the home of Sudan's coup leader Gen. Burhan. More on this at a later date.   

Photo, Sudan's head of the military Gen Abdel-Fattah Burhan speaks during a press conference at the General Command of the Armed Forces in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, Oct 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

Sudan’s prime minister, detained after coup, returns home

Report at Fox17 dot com 

Written by SAMY MAGDY, Associated Press (AP) 

Published Wednesday 27 October 2021 

Sudan's deposed prime minister and his wife were allowed to return home Tuesday, a day after they were detained when the military seized power in a coup, according to a statement issued by his office.

The release of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and his wife followed international condemnation of the coup and calls for the military to release all the government officials who were detained when Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan seized power on Monday.

The statement by Hamdok's office said other government officials remained in detention, their locations unknown. The deposed prime minister and his wife were under "heavy security" at home in the upscale Kafouri neighborhood of the capital Khartoum, said a military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. The official did not say whether they were free to leave or make calls.

Earlier in the day, Burhan said Hamdok had been held for his own safety and would be released. But he warned that other members of the dissolved government could face trial as protests against the putsch continued in the streets.

View full report plus 14 photos here:  https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/sudans-prime-minister-detained-after-coup-returns-home

NATO TV Channel: AU to develop co-operation with NATO

A GROUP of high level officials from the African Union (AU) visited NATO’s Headquarters and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium on Thursday and Friday.

NATO and the AU have developed an increasingly fruitful practical cooperation since 2005. NATO supported the AU Mission in Sudan and is currently assisting the AU mission in Somalia in terms of air- and sea-lift, but also planning support.

NATO is also providing training opportunities and capacity building support to the AU’s long term peacekeeping capabilities, in particular the African Standby Force. This reflects the shared objective of bringing security and stability to Africa, added the statement.

Full report here below.

AFRICAN UNION TO DEVELOP COOPERATION WITH NATO
(NNN-KUNA) via NAM News Network, Saturday, 20 February 2010:

BRUSSELS, Feb 20 (NNN-KUNA) — A group of high level officials from the African Union (AU) led by Sivuyile Thandikhaya Bam, head of the Peace Support Operations Division of the AU, visited NATO’s Headquarters and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium on Thursday and Friday.

“Our visit here is to take forward some discussions that we had with NATO on how to improve the African Unions ability to provide better management support to peace missions,” Bam told the NATO TV channel.

On its part, the 28-member Alliance said in a statement Friday night that the visit provided a good opportunity for an open and constructive dialogue on a variety of issues, particularly NATO’s role in the new security environment and the further development of practical cooperation between NATO and the AU.

NATO and the AU have developed an increasingly fruitful practical cooperation since 2005. NATO supported the AU Mission in Sudan and is currently assisting the AU mission in Somalia in terms of air- and sea-lift, but also planning support.

NATO is also providing training opportunities and capacity building support to the AU’s long term peacekeeping capabilities, in particular the African Standby Force.

This reflects the shared objective of bringing security and stability to Africa, added the statement. — NNN-KUNA