The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that the first groups of Filipino evacuees from Sudan, a country riddled with conflict, safely arrived in the Philippines last Saturday.
The DFA revealed that a total of 17 Filipino evacuees, who departed from Greece and Saudi Arabia, landed in Manila in two different batches.
Eight of the evacuees who arrived in the afternoon worked as hotel staff in Sudan and were able to board a military evacuation flight with the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Athens.
The nine others, who arrived late in the evening, had fled Khartoum through Port Sudan before boarding a flight bound for Jeddah.
DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo welcomed the repatriates and emphasized that the government is working hard to help Filipinos who are fleeing from the North African nation.
"Our DFA offices and diplomatic missions are determined to bring our people home safely, as soon as possible," he said.
As I welcome the 1st batch of repatriates from Sudan, I’m inspired by their fortitude & resilience. I’m grateful to our DFA teams, PH agencies & intl partners who work nonstop to ensure the safety of our kababayans. Protecting overseas Filipinos is our government’s solemn pledge pic.twitter.com/ZH3SotPYI1
— Enrique A. Manalo 🇵🇠(@SecManalo) April 29, 2023
Migrant Workers Secretary Toots Ople, who was scheduled to hold a virtual media briefing on Saturday night, informed reporters that she and Undersecretary Hans Cacdac were still en route to the Egypt-Sudan border, serving as an advance team from Aswan.
Recent figures from the DFA showed that around 610 Filipinos have been evacuated from Khartoum, with 391 already crossing the Egyptian border.
Ople revealed that the road trip to the border was expected to take 15 hours, with at least two rest stops.
Currently, concerned embassies are working on visas and repatriation flights for Filipinos in Sudan, the DFA added.
