The Safety Of Indonesian Citizens Must Be The Highest Priority In Evacuation Operations In Sudan

The ship carrying refugees from Sudan arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Twitter-@ForeignOfficePk)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, highlighted the evacuation process of Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were trapped in a civil war situation in Sudan. Puan emphasized that the government must ensure the safety of all Indonesian citizens wherever they are.

"I appreciate the performance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the TNI in evacuating our citizens in Sudan. Wherever Indonesian citizens are, the safety of Indonesian citizens must be a priority," said Puan, Thursday, April 27.

The government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the TNI must move quickly to evacuate all Indonesian citizens in Sudan. It is known that the evacuation process stages one and two have succeeded in bringing 557 Indonesian citizens and now they have arrived in Jeddah.

"I hope that the next evacuation process can be carried out immediately. Even though they are abroad, Indonesian citizens should still receive protection from the Indonesian government so that the Indonesian people do not hesitate to work and work abroad," he explained.

Bung Karno's grandson also asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to always alert medical personnel to ensure the health of Indonesian citizens who were successfully evacuated. According to Puan, the health of Indonesian citizens who are evacuated must always be maintained because they are taking a long process and journey.

Many Indonesian citizens were evacuated by sea and air from Sudan to Jeddah. Their health must be considered, there should be no Indonesian citizens who experience illness during the evacuation process," said the first woman who served as Chair of the DPR RI.

Our citizens' lives are very valuable and are the responsibility of the state. For this reason, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an extension of the government must be able to guarantee their safety," continued Puan.

In the rescue mission, Puan realized there were obstacles. Moreover, the evacuation of hundreds of Indonesian citizens was carried out in areas where there was a conflict.

For this reason, Puan asked for certainty from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the TNI for the security of Indonesian citizens until they arrived safely.

"I am concerned about the accident in the evacuation process. I understand this is not an easy thing to carry out the struggle to protect Indonesian citizens who are in conflict areas. Even so, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the TNI must continue to do their best," he said.

Puan also advised all parties to continue to work together as well as possible in the operation to save Indonesian citizens in Sudan. He emphasized that there should not be sectoral egos that can hinder the evacuation and comfort of Indonesian citizens. "This includes collaborating with various countries to facilitate the evacuation process. The existence of Indonesian citizens is one of the agendas that the DPR is fighting for to protect the security of Indonesian citizens, even in conditions of emergency that cannot be predicted," said Puan.