Tim Watts, assistant foreign affairs minister, is pleading with Australian citizens to depart the war-torn Sudan immediately because “plenty of seats” have been reserved on departing aircraft.
102 Australians, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), had fled Sudan, but 142 had stayed.
On Friday, DFAT announced that it will no longer be able to guarantee any flights to safety after today due to the expiration of an extended ceasefire in the African country.
According to a statement from DFAT, “Australia is working closely with partners to facilitate the departure of Australians from Sudan.”
Today (28 April), you can access a number of flights run by partner nations from the Wadi Sayyidna airfield, located north of Khartoum.
“There is no certainty of more flights.
Currently, it is also possible to leave by driving to Port Sudan and taking a ferry from there to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“The security situation is still quite unstable. Even to border regions, overland travel is still perilous.
The declaration follows a guy from Australia who, after leaving Sudan, has now arrived in Melbourne and has criticized the federal government for not doing enough to assist its residents in finding safety.
Sudan is currently in a “dangerous and volatile” scenario, according to Watts.
“Our message to any Australians leaving the country is crystal clear: take advantage of the truce.
There are many seats available for Australians leaving from that airstrip, and Australian consulate officers will meet you there to aid you with the rest of your travel to Australia.
He said that DFAT staff had been working “around the clock” to reserve seats on aircraft leaving Sudan that were run by partner nations.
Additionally, we are reserving seats on road convoys departing the nation.
