By Hannah Dadzie
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration says 74 Ghanaian nationals have successfully arrived in the country following the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
In a statement, the Ministry said the 74 Ghanaians arrived safely at the Kotoka International Airport on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. It added that the remaining six Ghanaians, including two footballers and four engineers, were evacuated through the Egyptian border post of Wadi Halfa.
According to the Ministry, they were met on arrival by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, Ghana’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union Commission (AU), Ambassador Amma A. Twum-Amoah, and other officials from the Ministry, as well as some members of the Ghana Psychological Association.
“This brings to a total of eighty (80) Ghanaian nationals who have been evacuated safely from Sudan,” the statement said.
It was a joyous moment at the Terminal 3 arrival lounge of the airport as they hugged their families and friends.
Sudan has been gripped by a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, resulting in avoidable casualties in the past week and forcing many countries to evacuate their citizens from the country.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry commended other stakeholders for making the evacuation possible and called on other Ghanaians still in Sudan to reach out to officials for assistance and subsequent evacuation.
The United Nations has warned that the conflict in Sudan could force 800,000 people to flee the country as battles between rival military factions persisted in the capital despite a supposed ceasefire. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded over 16 days of battles since disputes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15, 2023.
The crisis has unleashed a humanitarian disaster, damaged swathes of Khartoum, risked drawing in regional powers, and reignited conflict in the Darfur region. The UN and other aid organisations have cut services, though the World Food Programme said it was resuming operations in more secure areas on Monday, May 1, 2023, after staff were killed early in the war.
Officials warned of a “full-blown catastrophe” if fighting does not end. Fighting is continuing in the capital, Khartoum, between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), despite a ceasefire due to be in force. Diplomatic efforts are being stepped up to try and get the warring parties to the negotiating table.
