385 Indonesians from Sudan Arrive Home
Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces Yudo Margono welcome the arrival of Indonesians from Sudan in Jakarta, Friday (04/28). (Photo by: PR of Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
As many as 385 Indonesian citizens evacuated from Sudan following conflict in the East African country arrived in Jakarta, Friday (04/28) morning at 05.46 Western Indonesian time.
The group consists of 248 women and 137 men, 43 of whom are children.
“This is the first arrival of Indonesian citizens who have been evacuated from Sudan through Jeddah. Considering the evacuees’ long and tiring journey, they will temporarily stay at Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory upon arrival before they travel home,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi reported in a written statement, Friday (04/28).
The Minister pointed out that the central and regional governments have provided services for evacuated citizens to facilitate their homecoming.
“Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture and related ministries/agencies have provided services, including medical check-up and counselling. Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, and related regional governments will facilitate their homecoming,” she said.
The Minister further stated that the Government is evacuating Indonesian citizens from Sudan in three stages. The second evacuation is set to be conducted on Saturday (04/29) and the third and final one is slated on Sunday (04/30).
According to Retno, this evacuation is carried out using a relay evacuation plan, which starts with evacuation by land from the Sudan capital Khartoum to Port Sudan, evacuation by sea and air from Port Sudan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and continued with a three-stage evacuation to Indonesia.
“We use this evacuation plan to respond to the extremely fluid and dynamic situation on the ground, aimed at rescuing Indonesian citizens from dangerous conflict-affected areas. Thank God, this plan works well and we even evacuated several foreign nationals,” she said.
Closing her statement, Retno expressed gratitude that despite various challenges and hardship, the evacuation from Sudan can run smoothly thanks to the support and cooperation from many parties.
“We would like to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to the Commander of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), and related regional governments. We would also like to thank the authorities and other parties in Sudan, the Saudi Arabian Government, and the Indonesian Embassies and Consulate in Khartoum, Riyadh, Jeddah, Cairo, and Addis Ababa,” she remarked.
For the record, in her press statement following a limited meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Thursday (04/27), the Minister pointed out that the Government has evacuated 897 Indonesian citizens from Khartoum. (SLN/UN) (DH/MMB)
