Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Sudan can voluntarily evacuate if they feel unsafe amid the growing conflict in the African state. But as the fighting continues, an OFW said the government should look into the food and water situation because evacuation is impossible at the moment.
In an online interview with The Filipino Times (TFT), Romy Marquez, a resident of Sudan for over 40 years, said: “I wish they could do something about the food and water situation. There’s no way they can be evacuated at this time because the airport is heavily damaged and therefore closed. It is still being contested by the two factions. Food and water are the primary and urgent need.”
Marquez, who is staying in Juba, the capital and largest city of South Sudan, told TFT that it currently peaceful in their area however, he is greatly concerned with the ongoing clash.
“Tahimik dito sa Juba because South Sudan is an independent, separate country from Sudan. Nevertheless, I’m so distraught with what’s going on there. I have lots of loved ones, friends, at mga kababayan dun,” he noted.
Moreover, Marquez expressed hope that the Philippine government would connect with foreign agencies to extend assistance to affected OFWs.
“What the Philippine government could do is liaise with international organizations in Khartoum like the International Organization for Migration for provision of the urgent needs,” he stated.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs has raised the contingency level for OFWs in Sudan to Alert 3, or voluntary repatriation.
The conflict began amid a seeming power struggle between the two main factions of Sudan’s military regime: the Rapid Support Forces led by Gen. Mohamed Dagalo, known as Hemedti, and his former boss, Sudanese army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
