Opposition Tasks Gov’t To Evacuate Ugandans Stranded In Sudan As War Escalates

The Opposition in Parliament has tasked the government to urgently verify the actual number of Ugandan nationals currently trapped in the Sudan war and initiate the process of evacuating them.

According to the Shadow Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs, Muwada Nkunyingi the government should issue a timely travel advisory to Ugandans who are now trapped at the airport in Khartoum amidst intense fighting before it’s too late.

“We are concerned by media scenes on the ongoing Sudan armed conflict and intense fighting. As a result, we have received distress calls from several Ugandan nationals stranded in Sudan. Several narrate that they are trapped in areas of intense fighting including Uganda transit travelers at Sudan Airport,” said Nkunyingi in a statement.

Muwada further noted that several Uganda citizens estimated in thousands live, work, or regularly exit Sudan thus calling upon the government through the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the country’s mission in Khartoum to immediately initiate diplomatic measures of rescuing the thousands of Ugandans caught up in the Sudan armed Conflict.

“We condemn the Uganda regime and Foreign Ministry for failure to issue timely travel advice for Ugandan nationals exiting for or through Sudan. We accordingly advise Uganda travelers to avoid travel to or through Sudan for now until the situation normalizes. We encourage passengers to use alternative transit routes instead of Sudan airports or the border,”he said.

He urged the conflicting sides in Sudan to avoid any form of human rights violation and ensure the protection of the lives of innocent people.

The Ugandan ambassador to Sudan Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu has, however, assured the country that  Ugandan nationals caught up in the war in Sudan are safe.

He said the embassy is in contact with Ugandan students and workers in Sudan as authorities monitor the situation.

Explosions rocked the Sudanese capital Khartoum as fighting between the army and para- military forces led by rival generals raged for a third day with the death toll surpassing 200. 

The violence erupted Saturday after weeks of power struggles between the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fat- tah al-Burhan and his deputy, Moham ed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The intense conflict, which has seen air strikes, tanks on the streets, artillery fire and heavy gunfire in crowded neighbourhoods both in Khartoum and other cities across Sudan, has triggered international demands for an immediate ceasefire.