Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 25) — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said 50 Filipinos in Sudan have already been evacuated, while 300 more seek to be repatriated from the war-torn country.
In an interview with CNN Philippines’ Balitaan, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said the government is planning to bring more Filipinos back home during the 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan.
On Monday, the United Sates’ Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the warring factions in Sudan agreed to a cessation of hostilities. He said it would last for 72 hours starting midnight on April 24.
READ: 3-day Sudan ceasefire announced by US Secretary of State
De Vega said the 50 Filipinos evacuated are currently on their way to the Egypt border, where they will be transported to Aswan City in southern Egypt. From Aswan, he said they will take a plane bound for Cairo, and then Cairo to Manila.
The road distance between Sudan’s capital Khartoum to Cairo is more than 2,000 kilometers.
The DFA said the first batch of repatriated Filipinos in Sudan is expected to arrive in the country on Tuesday night.
As of April 25, there are still no recorded deaths among Filipinos in Sudan, according to the government.
Last Friday, the DFA confirmed that a Filipino was injured amid the fierce fighting in Sudan but has now recovered.
READ: Filipino hurt in Sudan conflict but now recovered — DFA
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday also said the government is doing all necessary preparations to bring home Filipinos stuck there.
“Mailabas natin ang mga tao natin. [Translation: We will get our people out],” he said. “Ang mahirap is that even the land routes are not completely safe. As yet, ‘yung mga airport binomba pa, hindi talaga magamit. So we are still trying to find alternative ways.”
[Translation: It is challenging because even the land routes are not completely safe. As yet, airports are still being bombed, they can’t be used.]
The president said they are watching the situation “very closely” to see if there’s an opportunity to get Philippine nationals out of the devastated country in Northeast Africa.
Marcos released the statement after his meeting with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense to discuss the safety of Filipinos in Sudan.
He also said Department of Migrant Workers’ Secretary Susan Ople is now on her way to the region, hoping to take advantage of the lull in the fighting to evacuate Filipinos.
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