Yemen evacuates 450 citizens from Sudan

Yemen’s internationally-recognized government announced on Sunday the start of a large-scale evacuation operation aimed at bringing its citizens back home from war-torn Sudan.Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a brief press statement that the first batch of evacuees consisting of 450 Yemeni citizens was successfully airlifted from Port Sudan to the Saudi city of Jeddah.

According to the statement, the evacuation operation was carried out in two flights, in which families and female students were given priority to board the plane.

The ministry clarified that the Yemeni government is working to facilitate the repatriation of the 2,423 Yemeni nationals who are stranded in Sudan and have expressed their willingness to return to their home country, adding that additional flights will be arranged in the coming days to bring back the remaining Yemeni citizens.The Yemeni government thanked Saudi Arabia for its support in coordinating the flights for the first group of Yemeni evacuees.
In an attempt to escape the ongoing civil war in Yemen, many Yemenis sought refuge in Sudan during the past years.

Due to the deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces, which broke out on April 15, the Yemenis are now compelled to return to their home country, which is also grappling with conflicts between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebel militia.