First Batch of Yemeni Evacuees from Sudan Arrive in Aden

A Saudi soldier distributes flowers to Yemeni evacuees as they disembark the Saudi HMS Abha ship, traveling from Port Sudan, after docking at Jeddah port, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
A Saudi soldier distributes flowers to Yemeni evacuees as they disembark the Saudi HMS Abha ship, traveling from Port Sudan, after docking at Jeddah port, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
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First Batch of Yemeni Evacuees from Sudan Arrive in Aden

A Saudi soldier distributes flowers to Yemeni evacuees as they disembark the Saudi HMS Abha ship, traveling from Port Sudan, after docking at Jeddah port, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
A Saudi soldier distributes flowers to Yemeni evacuees as they disembark the Saudi HMS Abha ship, traveling from Port Sudan, after docking at Jeddah port, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, May 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

The first group of Yemeni evacuees from Sudan arrived in Aden on Monday, having been evacuated by Saudi ships from Port Sudan to Jeddah, before boarding al-Yemenia Airways to their destination.

According to Yemeni sources, 180 people arrived at Aden International Airport, with plans in place to transport hundreds of others still stranded in Sudan.

The commercial director of al-Yemenia, Mohsen Haydara, said the airlines operated two flights from Jeddah to Aden in the first stage of the evacuation process, with the first carrying 180 and the second 270 passengers.

Haydara explained that the evacuation effort follows the directives of the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, who is keen to follow up on the conditions of Yemeni citizens and ensure their safe return.

He lauded the efforts of Saudi Arabia in facilitating the evacuation process of Yemenis and other nationals who were stranded in Sudan due to the ongoing conflict.

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry announced that arrangements were underway to receive nationals from Sudan and bring them to Jeddah as part of the evacuation flights in coordination with Saudi Arabia.

In an official statement, the Ministry said that under the directives of the political leadership, two flights of al-Yemenia would depart from Jeddah to the interim capital, Aden, with the first flight carrying 180 passengers and the second flight 273 passengers.

The statement asserted that evacuations would continue until all citizens safely return home.

The Ministry stated that families and female students were given priority in the ongoing evacuations and coordination with all concerned authorities until the evacuation of all nationals.

A total of 2,423 Yemeni citizens in Sudan have expressed their desire to return home, considering the recent developments and the ongoing clashes.



Humanitarian Corridors and Pauses Needed in Sudan, US Envoy Says

The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, attends a press briefing on the sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, attends a press briefing on the sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Humanitarian Corridors and Pauses Needed in Sudan, US Envoy Says

The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, attends a press briefing on the sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, attends a press briefing on the sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)

More and faster aid deliveries are needed in Sudan, the US special envoy to the war-weary country told Reuters, ideally through the implementation of humanitarian corridors and pauses as discussed with government leaders in a visit on Sunday.

"We are pleased that there has been some progress, but we need to see much more," Tom Perriello said in an interview, following the approval of flights to hunger-striken South Kordofan and the extension of permission to use the Adre border crossing into Darfur by the Sudanese army.

The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in a 19-month conflict that has caused acute hunger and disease across the country. Both sides are accused of impeding aid deliveries, the RSF by looting and the army by bureaucratic delays.

Proposals including humanitarian corridors and pauses were shared with Sudanese sovereign council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and others on a trip to Port Sudan on Monday and progress was made, Perriello said.

In October, the sovereign council approved flights into Kadugli to provide assistance to rebel-held regions of South Kordofan state, where people have gone hungry without aid deliveries, through an agreement with the South Sudanese government.

"I think if we can see that same attitude on the ability to get corridors into places like Khartoum, Omdurman, El-Gezira, al-Fasher, Sennar I think we could get a lot of life-saving aid to some of the most desperate Sudanese," he said.

In a speech on Tuesday, however, Burhan cast doubt on the speed of progress.

"Our vision is clear to all those who want to help us. The war must stop first and the rebels must leave the areas they have occupied," he said.

"Once civilian life is back, relief can return and be available to all Sudanese," he added.

US-led efforts to bring the army and RSF to the negotiating table have not succeeded so far.

"We do remain in active lines of communication with RSF leadership on the negotiations around both humanitarian access and peace," Perriello said.