Ugandan President , Yoweri Museveni, has ordered the head of the External Security Organisation (ESO), Joseph Ocwet, to utilize one of Uganda Airlines’ planes to evacuate Ugandan citizens who are still stranded in Sudan due to the ongoing violence.
According to a statement from government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo, the plane will depart from Entebbe Airport and land at Bahirdar Airport in Northern Ethiopia, which will serve as the exit route from Khartoum since its airspace remains closed.
Ocwet will be assisted by President Museveni’s elite force commanded by the Special Forces Command (SFC) under Col Asaph Nyakikuru Mweteise.
The evacuation process will be monitored closely and supervised by President Museveni, who has also delegated General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Senior Adviser on Special Operations, to oversee the special operation for the safe evacuation and return of the 208 Ugandan citizens.
Among the stranded individuals are diplomats, business people, students, and Hajj pilgrims who were en route to Saudi Arabia when the violence erupted last week.
Uganda’s ambassador to Khartoum, Rashid Ssemuddu, reported that at least 300 Ugandan nationals have been stranded in Sudan. On Sunday, the embassy hired six long-haul buses to transport the evacuees across the Ethiopian border, from where they will fly to Entebbe.
Ssemuddu assured the public that the Ugandans in Khartoum are safe, and those who were stuck at Sudan’s main airport in the capital have been moved to safe places until they can be evacuated. The travelers have been relocated to a hotel in Khartoum, and the airline has guaranteed that they will be taken care of during their stay at the hotel until the airport reopens.
The Ugandan government is collaborating with various groups, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to provide all necessary support to their citizens, including assistance for potential evacuations.
John Mulimba, Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, stated that the government is working with regional and international partners to monitor the situation and is urging a return to constructive dialogue to lead to national reconciliation and peace.
Clashes between Sudan’s military and the main paramilitary force have reportedly killed approximately 200 people and injured 1,800. Sudan’s rival commanders agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire starting Tuesday evening, but Army Gen. Shams El Din Kabbashi, a member of Sudan’s ruling military council, stated that it would not extend beyond the agreed 24 hours.
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