A group of 22 South Africans is still trapped in Egypt as the war in Sudan continues to rage. This just a day after what was thought to be the last batch of South Africans evacuated from the war-torn country arrived home.
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, chairperson and founder of Gift of the Givers, said he had received an alert from another group asking for assistance.
“The process of evacuating South Africans from Sudan is not over yet. Gift of the Givers received a call from a group of 22 South Africans caught up in Safaga port in Egypt. They went by boat from Port Sudan.
“The boat was chartered by the company that had employed the South Africans for a project that started in September last year with just two more weeks left for completion when the war started.
“They have been waiting in that boat in Egypt for the last three days for clearance so they could catch a flight from Cairo to South Africa. Unfortunately they have had to postpone the flight.” Sooliman said.
He said this information had been forwarded to the department of international relations and co-operation and the joint emergency evacuation committee to resolve the issue and get the documents sorted out so that they could travel to South Africa.
On April 15, a civil war erupted between rival military factions in Sudan. The airport in the capital Khartoum has been caught up in the fighting with aircraft burning on the tarmac and commercial airlines halting flights.
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Group of 22 South Africans fleeing Sudan still trapped in Egypt
Image: Abdullah Abdel Moneim/via REUTERS
A group of 22 South Africans is still trapped in Egypt as the war in Sudan continues to rage. This just a day after what was thought to be the last batch of South Africans evacuated from the war-torn country arrived home.
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, chairperson and founder of Gift of the Givers, said he had received an alert from another group asking for assistance.
“The process of evacuating South Africans from Sudan is not over yet. Gift of the Givers received a call from a group of 22 South Africans caught up in Safaga port in Egypt. They went by boat from Port Sudan.
“The boat was chartered by the company that had employed the South Africans for a project that started in September last year with just two more weeks left for completion when the war started.
“They have been waiting in that boat in Egypt for the last three days for clearance so they could catch a flight from Cairo to South Africa. Unfortunately they have had to postpone the flight.” Sooliman said.
He said this information had been forwarded to the department of international relations and co-operation and the joint emergency evacuation committee to resolve the issue and get the documents sorted out so that they could travel to South Africa.
On April 15, a civil war erupted between rival military factions in Sudan. The airport in the capital Khartoum has been caught up in the fighting with aircraft burning on the tarmac and commercial airlines halting flights.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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