The Philippine government is struggling to evacuate Filipinos from Sudan despite a 72-hour ceasefire declared by warring factions fighting in the streets of Khartoum, the capital city.
Ma. Teresita Daza, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said Wednesday "securing buses to transport Filipinos out of Khartoum has been challenging due to the scarcity of bus providers, increasing rental prices." The evacuation buses will take Filipinos to Cairo, over 2,000 kilometers north of Khartoum.
"But seven buses have been contracted to transport the other Filipino evacuees. Efforts to secure more buses continue," she added.
As of April 25, 80 Filipinos already fled Sudan due to efforts provided by the Philippine Embassy in Egypt. There were 270 more who were still waiting for rescue, evacuation and repatriation.
There are 740 registered Filipinos in Sudan, DFA added.
Some Filipinos in Sudan are taking their fate into their own hands by fleeing the African nation by themselves amid fighting between its military and paramilitary forces that have so far killed hundreds.
Anthony Buhay and John Emil Deza, both Filipino workers in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, no longer waited for the assistance coming from the Philippine Embassy in Egypt, which has jurisdiction over Sudan, after renting buses just to take them out of the center of the clashes.
Buhay said he joined a group of evacuees, including Filipinos, who rented a bus for Egypt; while Deza travelled by a private car with his family bound for Soba, also in Sudan, to seek temporary refuge, while there was a 72-hour ceasefire declared by warring factions on April 24.
They made the move as the Philippine government struggled to evacuate them and the bullets started raining on the streets.
"Dito na po sa tapat namin nagbobombahan na po... Hirap na po, halo halo na pong stress. Walang pagkain, tubig. Lahat na po, wala (There were already bombardments in front of our house... It's really hard. All the stress. No food, no water. Everything's gone)," Deza said in a recent interview with TV Patrol.
In a Facebook post on late Monday night, Deza said they are making their "own efforts" to leave Khartoum.
"Sa wakas makaalis na rin ng Sudan (We can finally leave Sudan)," he added in a Facebook video he posted on Wednesday morning, which showed him with a group of other evacuees onboard a bus.
The French government also helped in the evacuation of foreign nationals, including Filipinos, according to its embassy in Manila.
"France stands in solidarity on the ground by answering the call of many European and allied partners who reported their nationals in Sudan," it said.
"The French Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) contacted them to locate them and proceed as quickly as possible to their evacuation," it added.
(Photo by Mark JOHNSON/MOD/AFP)
Earlier, two Filipinos working for Saudi-based Saudia Airlines were among those evacuated by the Saudi government, according to DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega.
They were brought to Port Sudan before being brought by military ship to Saudi.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedin Tago, along with Vice Consul Bojer Capati, figured in a car accident while on the way to the Egyptian border with Sudan for evacuation efforts of Filipinos there.
"Fortunately he was unharmed. He has returned to Cairo and will be flying to the border to facilitate the entry of Filipino evacuees to Egypt," Daza said on Wednesday.
No Filipino has been reported killed due to the conflict that has already left hundreds dead. Meanwhile, one Filipino was reported wounded after being hit by a stray bullet.
Fighting erupted in Khartoum on April 15 due to power struggle between Sudan's military ruler, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and paramilitary leader, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The clashes left at least 420 people dead, according to latest figure provided by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The DFA official said the Philippine post in Egypt already made its own representations with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate thetemporary entry into Egypt of Filipino nationals.
The post is also exploring the deployment of assistance-to-nationals (ATN) teams to the Sudanese city of Wadi Halfa and to Port Sudan to provide consular assistance to evacuating nationals.
Daza said the embassy continues to monitor the developments in Sudan and to coordinate the evacuation and repatriation of Filipinos.
"It has issued a number of advisories on the situation as well as on the evacuation/ repatriation efforts," she added.