UAE evacuates citizens from Sudan amid crisis

Support has also been given to people of 19 other nationalities, who will be hosted in the Emirates before they are flown home

The announcement comes as the UAE said it had raised Dh10 billion via Emirates Red Crescent for those in need. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

Latest: Live updates from Sudan crisis

The UAE has evacuated its citizens and people of other nationalities from Sudan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, the UAE government said it had prioritised securing the safe exit of the most vulnerable groups, which include women, children, the elderly, the sick and people with disabilities, as part of the humanitarian operation.

Support has also been given to people of 19 different nationalities, who will be hosted in the UAE before they are flown to their home countries.

The announcement comes as the UAE said it had raised Dh10 billion via Emirates Red Crescent for those in need, including orphans, those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and now Sudan, as part of its commitment to supporting other countries in times of crisis.

Evacuation efforts have intensified after a US and Saudi-brokered 72-hour ceasefire came into effect at midnight on Monday.

While local media reported a “cautious calm” in parts of Khartoum, many residents in the capital woke up to shelling on the first day of the truce.

Saudi Arabia announced on Monday that it had helped 91 citizens from the kingdom and 66 from other countries including the UAE, Qatar, Canada, the Philippines and India, escape the Sudanese capital.

India began to evacuate its first group of citizens on a naval warship on Tuesday.

Sudan conflict — in pictures

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  A member of the Saudi Navy carries a child from a ship at Jeddah's port during the kingdom's evacuation of civilians from Sudan. Reuters

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  Indian nationals evacuated from Sudan arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. EPA

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  Sudanese refugees queue to receive aid from the World Food Programme near the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad. Reuters

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  Tunisian citizens evacuated from Sudan leave a military aircraft upon their arrival at Tunis-Carthage International Airport. AFP

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  Indians evacuated from Sudan arrive on a flight at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India. AP Photo

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  Moroccan nationals, who have been evacuated from Sudan, arrive at Mohammed V airport in Casablanca, Morocco. EPA

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  A boat with 1,687 civilians from more than 50 countries fleeing violence in Sudan, arrives at King Faisal naval base in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AFP

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  RSF fighters in the East Nile district of greater Khartoum. AFP

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  Passengers disembark a plane from Djibouti at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport near Paris after being evacuated from Sudan. AFP

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  Buildings destroyed in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. AP

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  Passengers fleeing the fighting in Sudan arrive at Wadi Karkar bus station in Aswan, Egypt. EPA

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  Ali Mazloum, a Lebanese citizen who was evacuated from Sudan, is welcomed upon his arrival at Beirut airport. Reuters

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  A woman helps another after fleeing clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum. Reuters

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  Soldiers attend to Greek citizens evacuated from Sudan as they disembark from a military aircraft in Attica, Greece. EPA

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  People carry hibiscus juice and cold water for those being evacuated from Khartoum to Port Sudan. Reuters

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  Thais wait to be evacuated by boat at a port in Sudan. EPA

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  Greek citizens arrive from Sudan on a military plane in Elefsina, south of Athens. AFP

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  Japan's senior Vice Foreign Minister Shunsuke Takei welcomes his country's citizens in Djibouti after they were rescued from Sudan. AFP

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  A member of the Saudi Royal Navy carries a child who was rescued from Sudan, in Jeddah. Reuters

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  A military plane carrying evacuees arrives at Ciampino Airport near Rome, Italy. Reuters

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  Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani greets the country's ambassador to Sudan, Michele Tommasi, as he arrives at Ciampino Airport. Reuters

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  South Korea's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Park Joon-yong, at a Saudi Air Force base in Jeddah, where he met diplomats from his country evacuated from Sudan by the kingdom's air force. Reuters

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  Having fled from Sudan, a South Korean nun disembarks from a military plane after landing at King Abdullah Air Base in Jeddah. AFP

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  People gather as they seek to escape the violence in Khartoum. Reuters

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  Spanish diplomatic personnel and citizens wait to disembark from a military plane after being evacuated from Sudan, in Djibouti. Reuters

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  A closed pharmacy and shops in the south of Khartoum as battles rage in the capital between the army and paramilitaries. AFP

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  Passengers from Sudan disembark from a Spanish Air Force plane at Torrejon Airbase in Madrid. AP

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  People evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman. AFP

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  Jordan was among those countries to have rapidly flown its citizens in Sudan to safety. AFP

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  This child was one of those to have arrived safely in Amman. AFP

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  A building in Khartoum burns as violence rages in Sudan. EPA

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  Italian citizens are flown out of the Sudanese capital on a military aircraft. Reuters

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  The fighting has caused heavy damage to parts of Khartoum. EPA

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  Indonesian citizens travel on a bus during an evacuation operation in Khartoum. EPA

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  A Spanish military aircraft takes off from Khartoum as European countries rescue citizens from Sudan. Reuters

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  Jordanians arrive at a military airport in Amman after their evacuation from Sudan to escape the fighting. AP

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  French troops arrive at an air base in Djibouti to prepare to evacuate about 100 people from Sudan. AFP

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  Smoke rises from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army in Khartoum. Reuters

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  Saudis are met by Saudi Royal Navy staff as they arrive at Jeddah on the Red Sea after being evacuated from Sudan. Reuters

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  The streets of southern Khartoum bear the scars of fighting between two factions of the Sudanese military. AFP

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  A convoy leaves Khartoum for Port Sudan as fighting between military factions in the Sudanese capital continues. AFP

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  A civilian convoy leaving Khartoum for Port Sudan. AFP

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  Saudi citizens and people of other nations are evacuated by the Saudi Royal Navy from Port Sudan to escape the conflict. Reuters

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  A photo from October 2017 of the US embassy in Khartoum. AFP

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  Saudi citizens are met by Saudi Royal Navy staff as they arrive at Jeddah after being evacuated from Sudan. Reuters

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  Smoke hangs over Khartoum as factions belonging to the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces go back to trading gunfire after a ceasefire failed. AP