390 Indonesian Citizens Evacuated From Sudan Returned From Jeddah To Indonesia Today

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said as many as 390 Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were evacuated from armed conflict in Sudan are scheduled to fly back to the country via Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday. "According to information, the plan is that today 390 Indonesian citizens will be repatriated from Jeddah to Indonesia, once again my friends need to emphasize according to the plan," said Retno quoted by ANTARA, Thursday 27 April. The Minister also emphasized that all the information submitted was in the form of a plan considering the situation in the field is always dynamical and very fluid and there can be a change. "If later there is a change, it is because the situation that then makes the original plan changed," he said. The Foreign Minister continued that 390 Indonesians evacuated from Sudan were scheduled to arrive at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, on Friday (28/4) tomorrow morning. Retno also stated that he plans to welcome the arrival of 390 Indonesian citizens evacuated from Sudan. "After that the second phase of evacuation has brought 328 Indonesian citizens arriving to Port Sudan, of whom 110 have already been transported to Jeddah using the Indonesian Air Force aircraft," he said. The Foreign Minister invited all Indonesian citizens to participate in praying that all Indonesian citizens in Sudan who were evacuated can return to the country safely. For Indonesian citizens who refused to be evacuated, the Foreign Minister stated that the Indonesian government would not carry out acts of coercion in any form. "If indeed because of the reason their families chose to live with their new families there, it is from those we must respect," said Retno.

Armed conflict broke out in Sudan since April 15 between the Sudanese military (SAF) and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Tensions began to emerge as there was an attempt to merge RSF into part of the Sudanese military. The fighting took place mostly in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and spread to the surrounding area. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 400 people had died from the armed conflict, and more than 4,000 people were injured.