The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said over 150 Filipinos in Sudan want to go back home as clashes intensify in the country.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said there are over 300 Filipinos in Sudan based on their database but following the conflict, around 500 have registered to the Philippine Embassy in Egypt.
De Vega said the number could go as high as 700 Filipinos in the battle-scarred country, most of them undocumented.
“Ang sabi ng ating embassy, over 500 na ang nag-message sa kanila. Out of the 500 plus, 156 ang handa at any moment na umuwi na. Meron silang passport at visa. Hindi sila illegal sa Sudan, hindi sila mga undocumented,” De Vega told GMA News.
The DFA official said the repatriation may begin in the next few days.
De Vega said the embassy is also renting out vehicles so that Filipinos can be evacuated from the country.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that they have evacuated 91 citizens from Sudan following a repatriation mission which included 66 nationals from other countries including the Philippines.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the rescue mission involved several nationals of brotherly and friendly countries.
Meanwhile, President Bongbong Marcos has addressed the challenges of evacuating Filipinos from Sudan following the clashes in the Middle Eastern country.
“Malaking problema natin sa in Sudan. We have about 300 people in Sudan. Unfortunately, none of the airports are functioning. They are still under fire. Also, we cannot ascertain a secure land route for them to leave,” the President said in a video statement.
“It is a long road from Khartoum to Cairo which is where our embassy is, that is in charge also of Khartoum and Sudan. But we are already preparing the assets that might be involved. We are just waiting to get better information as to whether or not it will be safe to bring our evacuees out of Khartoum, perhaps into Cairo,” he added.
