Calamos Supports Greece
GreekReporter.comWorldAfricaGreeks Evacuated from Sudan Flown to Athens

Greeks Evacuated from Sudan Flown to Athens

Greeks evacuated Sudan
Greek expatriates have been evacuated to Djibouti and are on their way to Athens. Credit: AMNA

Seventeen people, 13 Greeks and 4 spouses of Greek nationals, including three children and an injured person, have been evacuated from Sudan via Djibouti and have arrived in Athens, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.

A Hellenic Air Force C-27 transport plane departed from Aswan, Egypt, early on Tuesday and arrived at Elefsina, headquarters of 112 Combat Wing. A second C-27 has departed Elefsina for Aswan.

Early Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that seven more Greek citizens had departed Sudan and arrived at Aqaba, Jordan.

 

43 citizens of Greek interest have been rescued from Khartoum up until now, with 17 arriving in Greece on Tuesday morning and another seven arriving in Egypt by car during the day.

Among those evacuated are two people who were injured, one of which is in a grave condition while the other is out of danger.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met the Greeks that arrived on Tuesday in Athens at the foreign ministry, without any press attending, where they thanked him for their successful rescue. Dozens of Greeks are still stranded in Sudan, authorities estimate.

The process and coordination with EU partners and allies regarding the evacuation of the rest of the Greeks and their family members are ongoing.

This evacuation comes after Greece’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, announced on Sunday that the country’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, had authorized the relocation of Air Force aircraft and members of the army’s Special Forces to Egypt to participate in a potential rescue operation from Sudan.

Two military transport aircraft C-130 and C-27j left on Sunday for Egypt.

About 150 Greeks in Sudan

There are about 150 Greek nationals remaining in Khartoum. Several Greeks have found refuge in the Greek heartland in Khartoum located exactly where the fighting is taking place, in the center of the city.

The Church of the Annunciation, the offices of the Greek community, the Greek school, and the building of the Greek Embassy, which has been defunct for years, are all within a walled precinct.

A growing list of countries has evacuated diplomats and citizens from Sudan’s capital as fierce fighting continues to rage in Khartoum.

The US and UK announced on Sunday that they had flown diplomats out of the country. France, Germany, Italy and Spain are among other nations that have also carried out evacuations.

Western diplomats and their families evacuated

US authorities said they had airlifted fewer than 100 people with three Chinook helicopters on Sunday morning in a “fast and clean” operation.

The US embassy in Khartoum is now closed, and a tweet on its official feed says it is not safe enough for the government to evacuate private US citizens.

The UK government managed to airlift British diplomats and their families out of the country in what was described as a “complex and rapid” operation.

The near-constant shooting and bombing in Khartoum and elsewhere has cut electricity and safe access to food and water for much of the population.

Several ceasefires that had seemingly been agreed by both sides were ignored, including a three-day pause to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which started on Friday.

On Sunday, the US announced that a disaster response team would be sent to the area to “coordinate the humanitarian response for those in need both within and outside of Sudan.”

See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!



Related Posts