Twenty Portuguese who intended to leave Sudan have already been expelled from the country, the Foreign Ministry (ME) said Wednesday in a statement saying two citizens remain in the territory.
In the same note, the guardianship mentioned that twenty Portuguese had been away from the most dangerous areas since Monday and are now outside of Sudan.
“Citizens of the country who decide to return to Portugal are guaranteed the assistance of the Portuguese State with regard to their respective transport. The rest of the citizens who have chosen other destinations are also in constant contact with the consular offices that have been accompanying this entire process since the conflict,” the ministry, headed by Joao Gomes Cravinho, said.
The Foreign Ministry added that the two Portuguese who remain in Sudan – one in the south “by choice”, and the other is in the Sudan Port “because he decided to wait for a trip within the framework of the United Nations, the organization to which he belongs.”
Several countries, including Portugal, are withdrawing their citizens from Sudan due to heavy fighting between the army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto ruler, and his former ally-turned-rival, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the Rapid Forces paramilitaries support (RSF).
The armed conflict has been going on for 12 days, mainly in Khartoum and Darfur (west), and has already resulted in 512 dead and 4,193 wounded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).