عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Japan Prepares to Evacuate Citizens from Sudan

A man walks along a street near a mosque at sunset during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Port Sudan on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
A man walks along a street near a mosque at sunset during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Port Sudan on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
TT
TT

Japan Prepares to Evacuate Citizens from Sudan

A man walks along a street near a mosque at sunset during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Port Sudan on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
A man walks along a street near a mosque at sunset during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Port Sudan on April 18, 2023. (AFP)

Japan's defense ministry has begun preparations to evacuate its citizens from Sudan amid deadly fighting, a top government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Japan's foreign minister asked the defense minister to use the Self-Defense Forces' plane for the evacuation, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno.

"The government will continue to do its utmost to ensure the safety of Japanese residents in Japan, including the safety and evacuation of Japanese nationals, in close cooperation with the G7 and other major countries," Matsuno said.

About 60 Japanese nationals were in Sudan as of Wednesday, Matsuno told reporters, adding the government was able to contact all of them and none of them were injured.

Heavy gunfire shattered a 24-hour truce in Sudan on Tuesday.

Fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed at least 185 people and injured more than 1,800, said UN envoy Volker Perthes, amid airstrikes and fighting in Khartoum and strife across Sudan.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

EU’s Top Diplomat Criticizes Israeli Minister’s Call to Cut off Aid to Gaza 

22 July 2024, Belgium, Brussels: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. (Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa)
22 July 2024, Belgium, Brussels: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. (Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa)
TT
TT

EU’s Top Diplomat Criticizes Israeli Minister’s Call to Cut off Aid to Gaza 

22 July 2024, Belgium, Brussels: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. (Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa)
22 July 2024, Belgium, Brussels: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. (Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa)

The European Union’s top diplomat says it should consider sanctions in response to calls by Israel’s far-right national security minister to cut off aid to Gaza.

Writing on the X platform late Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the recent remarks by Itamar Ben-Gvir constitute “incitement to war crimes,” adding that “sanctions must be on our EU agenda.”

In his own post on X and in media interviews, Ben-Gvir said that instead of agreeing to a potential ceasefire deal, Israel should block the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza until Hamas releases all of the hostages, saying that doing so would bring the militant group to its knees.

Ben-Gvir has also repeatedly called for Israel to permanently reoccupy Gaza, rebuild Jewish settlements there and encourage the “voluntary” migration of Palestinians from the territory.

Ben-Gvir, a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, has threatened to bring the government down if it makes too many concessions in the ceasefire talks.

Borrell called on Israel’s government to “unequivocally distance itself from these incitements to commit war crimes,” and to engage “in good faith” with cease-fire negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

The United States and Israel’s other Western allies have repeatedly voiced concern about the killing of Palestinian civilians and Israeli restrictions on aid operations in the 10-month-old war. But they continue to provide vital military and diplomatic support for its offensive.