The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Sunday, July 9, appealed to Filipinos in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to “go home” as infighting there between the military and paramilitary forces has claimed the lives of at least 3,000 people. People evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman on April 24, 2023. Foreign countries rushed to evacuate their nationals from Sudan as deadly fighting raged into a second week between forces loyal to two rival generals. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP) His warning came amid reports of looting of homes of foreigners. “Our advice pa rin namin (Our advice is still it) is time to go home,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in an interview over TeleRadyo Serbisyo. The official noted that some 110 Filipinos still remained in Sudan despite earlier repatriation efforts of the Philippine government through the Saudi government. “Yung iba naman ayaw umuwi dahil may utang pa ‘yung employer sa kanila. Gusto mabayaran pa muna (Others don’t want to go home because their employers still owe them. They want to be paid first),” De Vega added. Currently, the Philippines is processing the repatriation of 17 Filipinos who are at the Port of Sudan since two weeks ago. “Hinihintay natin na maging available ang commercial flight uli. Dati kasi ang Saudi naglilipad for free pero ngayon hindi na (We are waiting for commercial flight to be available again. Before, Saudi flies for free but not right now),” he explained. Deadly fighting raged in Sudan since mid-April between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Lamenting that the ceasefire is not being followed, De Vega told Filipinos there that it is now “mandatory” to leave the northeast African country. “Economically, nag co-collapse ‘yung bansa (the country has collapsed),” he said, stressing that there is “always a chance” the situation could get worse.