50 Irish citizens evacuated from Sudan by Spanish and French governments

Smoke is seen rising from a neighborhood in Khartoum, Sudan. Picture: AP Photo/Marwan Ali

Up to 50 Irish citizens have been evacuated from Sudan with the assistance of the Spanish and French governments, the Foreign Affairs Minister has confirmed.

Micheál Martin said there were about 150 Irish nationals in the country as of Sunday morning, and so far, 50 had been evacuated to Djibouti, where a consular team from the Department of Foreign Affairs has been on the ground since yesterday.

He warned it would take a number of days for the remaining Irish nationals to be safely transported out of the country. He also thanked the Spanish and French governments for their "remarkable" assistance.

Mr Martin told Morning Ireland  the situation on the ground in Sudan was "fluid" and he advised any Irish nationals in the country to follow the social media accounts of the Irish embassy in neighbouring Kenya for up-to-date information. 

"We estimate there’s about 150-plus Irish citizens registered with our embassy in Nairobi – that can include dependents," he said.

Mr Martin said the security situation "is on everyone’s mind" and that evacuations needed to be done safely. He said that those still in Sudan should stay indoors and stay safe until further advice is issued.

I think we’re pleased with the initial outcome in the last 24 hours but it is something that’s very, very fluid, and bear in mind that the conflict is a ferocious one.

The Irish Emergency Consular Assistance Team, including diplomats and members of the Defence Forces, was now in Djibouti, working with other EU teams, Mr Martin said.

Jordanians evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman, Jordan. Picture: AP Photo/Raad Adayleh

Under legislation, the Defence Forces can only be deployed on peacekeeping operations following approval from the United Nations (UN), the Government, and the Oireachtas.

The requirement for UN authorisation means Irish operations cannot go ahead if wider UN support is vetoed by one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Mr Martin acknowledged the Triple Lock mechanism may have to be reviewed and that, if this action went ahead, it would be done as part of a broader review of Irish foreign policy and the different threats it faced. This could require the amendment of the Defence Act of 2006, he said.

Asked about criticism of Ireland’s lack of air capacity, Mr Martin said he had given the order for extra airlift capacity. He suggested that, in future, Ireland may look to join a consortium with other EU member states to develop joint strategic airlift capacity.

Llegada de los 104 civiles evacuados por España en Sudán a la base de Yibuti en un A400M del Ejército del Aire 👇https://t.co/8SlTa9VTDF pic.twitter.com/6AfHXQe4rT

— miguel gonzalez (@mgonzalezelpais) April 24, 2023

Earlier, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEUEC), confirmed a number of Irish nationals were among 104 people it successfully evacuated from the country on Sunday.

Though it is not clear exactly how many Irish citizens were evacuated, the Spanish government said the operation passed without incident.

"The Ejercito del Aire y del Espacio [Spanish air force] planes have just taken off from Khartoum carrying our citizens and Spanish embassy staff," Spanish foreign affairs minister José Manuel Albares Bueno tweeted.

"Other EU and Latin American nationals also on board. Our convoy arrived safely to the airport.

The @EjercitoAire planes have just taken off from Khartoum carrying our citizens and @EmbEspSudan. Other EU and Latin American nationals also on board. Our convoy arrived safely to the airport.

We reiterate the call for a ceasefire and resumption of dialogue in Sudan.

— José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) April 23, 2023

 

"We reiterate the call for a ceasefire and resumption of dialogue in Sudan."

A destroyed military vehicle is seen in southern in Khartoum last week. Picture: AP/Marwan Ali)

Last week, fighting erupted across Africa's third largest country as the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, began battling for control of the country. Hundreds of people, many of them civilians, have already been killed in the fighting.

On Sunday, the Government confirmed it was sending a team to evacuate Irish citizens from Sudan.

Following a Cabinet meeting, the Government approved the deployment of an Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) mission to assist with the process of evacuating Irish citizens and their dependents from the country.

Up to 12 Defence Forces personnel are being deployed initially to Djibouti as part of the ECAT mission. 

The Irish government said the duration of the mission would be dependent on the security situation on the ground and extraction decisions by partners.

The Government confirmed it was in contact with Irish citizens who had registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and that every effort was being made to assist them.