Africa-Press – South-Africa. South Africans stuck in Sudan should “stay indoors, away from windows and exterior walls” and “await further updates and guidance”, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement on Wednesday.
The SA embassy in Khartoum is “exploring options to assist stranded South Africans”, it said, but airports remain closed.
It reiterated South Africa’s call, one among many, for the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to stop fighting.
It is not clear how many South Africans are currently in Sudan – or how many may be at risk – but the government estimates it to be around 100.
For some people in Khartoum, shortages of food and water grew severe enough on Wednesday that they left shelter, despite heavy ongoing fighting.
Aid agencies and relief workers have said they are unable to offer much help because they cannot move freely and safely, and depots and warehouses have been looted.
Most of the capital’s hospitals are reportedly out of action, many due to artillery fire.
Foreign nationals have trickled out of Sudan, but large-scale evacuations have so far failed.
At the outset of fighting on the weekend, a Saudi Arabian passenger plane came under fire.
The Khartoum airport has been a battleground ever since, with both sides at various times claiming to control it.
A 24-hour truce declared on Tuesday evening seemed to provide an opportunity to get people out of the conflict zone – but, despite agreeing to it, neither party observed the truce.
As such, it seems to have caused Germany to turn back military planes it had dispatched to fetch around 150 of its citizens.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
