MOGADISHU-The Somali Deputy Commissioner of National Disaster Management Agency Ahmed A. Adan on Sunday held emergency meeting with officials of relevant government institutions.
The meeting centered on how to evacuate Somali citizens stranded in Sudan following the clashes that erupted in the capital last week.
Somali citizens caught in the war said they have run out of basic commodities like water and food and appealed to the Somali Federal government to expedite the evacuation exercise.
The Somali Ambassador to Sudan told VOA last week that the government is mulling over evacuating the Somali citizens trapped in the capital Khartoum where a fierce fighting is ongoing between the military and the paralimilitary unit- Rapid Support Forces ( RSF).
Deputy Commissioner of SoDMA, Dr. Ahmed A. Adan and the heads of various Government agencies held an Emergency meeting today to discuss how to evacuate #Somali citizens stranded in #Sudan.#sudanwar pic.twitter.com/YkC58hHphZ
— Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) (@SoDMA_Somalia) April 23, 2023
Ambassador Isak added that up to 3 000 Somalis are living in Sudan, many of them students.
He outlined that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has established an online registration form for Somalis in Sudan and created a WhatsApp group to keep Somali citizens informed about the development in the country.
Students residing in the capital Khartoum who spoke to the media decried about the worsening situation on the ground saying the probability of fighting subsiding was very low.
Several countries including the US and UK have begun evacuating their diplomats and citizens from the besieged capital – Khartoum as fighting between the two forces continued to take a fresh dimension.
Several attempts of cease fire announced by the two warring groups have failed to bear fruit as each other blamed for violating the agreement.
There reports that internet has been cut off in Sudan due to the heavy gunfire and bombardment ongoing in the city.
Over 100 people have been killed and scores of others injured in the fighting as thousands of others leave the country enmasse to the neighbouring countries for safety.
