Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 27) — More than 400 Filipinos have already been evacuated from conflict-torn Sudan amid the three-day ceasefire declared on Tuesday, Malacañang said.
In a report released on Thursday, of the 409 evacuated Filipinos, 335 overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) along with their families left Khartoum on Wednesday for Egypt via Wadi Halfa Highway.
READ: DFA: Over 300 more Filipinos being evacuated from Sudan
Malacañang also said another 35 OFWs and 15 students were evacuated to Egypt with the help of Filipinos in Sudan and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Meanwhile, DMW Secretary Susan Ople told CNN Philippines that the agency is putting up “welfare stations” in Egypt for the Filipinos who crossed the borders.
The DND is also coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the repositioning of the defense attaché from the United Arab Emirates and Israel to help the Philippine Embassy in Cairo evacuate Filipinos from Sudan.
The DFA earlier raised the crisis status in Sudan to Alert Level 3 due to the ongoing conflict in the country.
CNN Philippines correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this story.
“The OFWs who crossed the border will be given temporary shelter, food and basic essentials, and a financial aid of $200,” Ople said during the interview.
Ople added that the Department of National Defense (DND) is planning to send a team to help with the “security assessment.”
“They’re (DND) also sending a team to help kasi alam naman natin may security dimension din ito and nakikipag-ugnayan sila with the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs),” Ople said.
[Translation: They’re also sending a team to help because we know that there’s also a security dimension and DND is coordinating with the DFA.]
“I think sa mga security assessment (ang DND makakatulong) pero kung makakapasok ba sila on the ground, may visa requirements eh, so I don’t know,” she added.
[Translation: I think DND will help in the security assessment, but I don’t know if they can enter the ground since it has visa requirements.]
