As a fragile truce collapsed in Sudan, air strikes and heavy fighting are being reported again in Khartoum.
This was as Irish government evacuated its citizens and withdrew forces from the area.
Tanáiste Michael Martin confirmed that 209 Irish citizens have been evacuated.
Most Irish citizens and their dependents were flown out of Sudan to Cyprus or Djibouti on flights operated by the UK.
One mother in Mayo Catherine McLoughlin celebrated the bank holiday weekend by welcoming back her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren who were evacuated from the civil conflict.
“It was quite traumatising to hear the details of it,” Ms McLoughlin said. “But once they were in Djibouti, they really couldn’t thank the Irish Government and the people on the ground [enough].”
Nearly 2,000 planes have left Sudan since Tuesday in efforts to bring foreign nationals home, including over 200 Irish citizens and their dependents.
This has been one of the longest and largest evacuations by any Western nation in recent history.
Withdrawing operations
Mr Martin announced that the Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) would withdraw from Cyprus.
Members of the Defence Forces and the Department of Foreign Affairs were deployed over the past week amid the evolving situation in the country.
The Irish Army Ranger Wing has also returned home.
He said Ireland would maintain an enhanced multi-location presence in support of citizens remaining in Sudan through consular missions including those in Egypt, Kenya and Jordan.
The British evacuation effort has also ended, following the departure of the final flight from Wadi Saeedna airfield near the capital last night.
Any Irish citizens still in Sudan have been advised to contact consular teams in Dublin, Nairobi, Cairo, Amman, Riyadh and Addis Ababa.
Continued conflict
Air strikes and fighting are being reported again in Khartoum as a fragile truce collapses in Sudan.
The army says it’s attacking the capital from all directions to push out its paramilitary rivals.
More than 500 people have been reported dead since the conflict started, with the actual total number of dead and injured expected to be much higher.
Millions remain trapped in the capital, where food is running short.
More than 70 per cent of health facilities in the capital have been forced to close since fighting erupted.
Members of the Sudanese community in Dublin protested the ongoing conflict yesterday.
President of the Sudanese Doctors Union of Ireland Dr Yassir Hamad said the war is destroying people’s lives.
“We’re here to come together as the wider Sudanese community to find a way to help our people back home,” he said.
(SPA/AFP)
