Jokowi: 969 Indonesian Citizens Have Been Evacuated From Sudan

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo revealed that 969 Indonesian citizens (WNI) were successfully evacuated from Sudan who were being hit by armed conflict.

"The government has succeeded in evacuating Indonesian citizens from Sudan. As of today, the number of Indonesian citizens who have been evacuated is 969 people," Jokowi said while giving a press statement in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Monday, May 8, which was confiscated by Antara.

Jokowi explained that of these, 936 of them had been sent back to Indonesia and 33 were in a safe location outside Sudan.

"In the future, we will continue to improve the protection of Indonesian citizens and strengthen them," he added.

The figure conveyed by Jokowi increased compared to the latest data from the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) Retno Marsudi, which stated that 955 Indonesian citizens were evacuated from Sudan, during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building, Jakarta, Friday, May 5.

At that time, Retno also reported that the evacuation was carried out quietly to ensure the safety and security of Indonesian citizens in the midst of a situation in Sudan that could threaten their safety.

"Because everything concerns the safety and security issues from Indonesian citizens that we will evacuate, because the local situation is always very dynamic, very fluid, and can threaten the safety of Indonesian citizens," said Retno.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (PMK) ensures the provision of the best health services for Indonesian citizens who have been evacuated from Sudan.

Sudan has been hit by armed conflict since April 15, 2023, sparked by fighting between two generals, namely military commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary commander Mohammed Hamdan's "Hemedti" Dagalo. Sudan's Ministry of Health said more than 550 people had died as a result of the fighting.