German Military Plane with 101 Evacuees from Sudan Lands in Berlin

24 April 2023, Berlin: An Air Force Airbus lands at Berlin Brandenburg Airport with German citizens evacuated from Sudan. (dpa)
24 April 2023, Berlin: An Air Force Airbus lands at Berlin Brandenburg Airport with German citizens evacuated from Sudan. (dpa)
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German Military Plane with 101 Evacuees from Sudan Lands in Berlin

24 April 2023, Berlin: An Air Force Airbus lands at Berlin Brandenburg Airport with German citizens evacuated from Sudan. (dpa)
24 April 2023, Berlin: An Air Force Airbus lands at Berlin Brandenburg Airport with German citizens evacuated from Sudan. (dpa)

A German air force plane with 101 people evacuated from Sudan landed in Berlin early on Monday, as countries rushed to get their citizens out of Khartoum while a shaky ceasefire held in the Sudanese capital.

Sudan's sudden slide into conflict between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has stranded thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers.

The Luftwaffe has flown out 311 people so far from an airfield near Khartoum, the German military said, and the first batch was brought back to Berlin on Monday aboard an Airbus A321 from the Al Azrak base in Jordan, which is being used as a hub for the evacuation operation.

The German military did not provide a break-down of how many of those evacuated were German citizens or nationals from other countries.

The fighting in Sudan has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country, where millions of people have been left without access to basic services.

At least 420 people have been killed since the fighting broke out on April 15, four years after long-ruling President Omar al-Bashir was toppled.

The army and RSF jointly staged a coup in 2021 but fell out during negotiations to integrate the two groups and form a civilian government, and their rivalry has raised the risk of a wider conflict that could draw in outside powers.



Palestinian Prisoner Group Demands International Inquiry into Israeli Abuse Allegations 

Soldiers lock a gate from the inside at Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli military police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba, in southern Israel, July 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Soldiers lock a gate from the inside at Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli military police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba, in southern Israel, July 29, 2024. (Reuters)
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Palestinian Prisoner Group Demands International Inquiry into Israeli Abuse Allegations 

Soldiers lock a gate from the inside at Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli military police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba, in southern Israel, July 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Soldiers lock a gate from the inside at Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli military police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba, in southern Israel, July 29, 2024. (Reuters)

The association representing Palestinian prisoners called for an international inquiry into allegations of abuse of detainees in Israeli jails since the start of the war in Gaza, following an outcry by right wing protesters over an Israeli investigation.

Qadura Fares, head of the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, said on Monday night there had been multiple reports of abuse at Sde Teiman, the military facility in southern Israel at the center of the investigation.

"Every day, as we witness the massacres against our people in Gaza, we hear horrific and harsh testimonies from legal teams and detainees who are released," he said in a statement.

He said the Israeli investigation and the detention of nine Israeli soldiers was a "farce" aimed at misleading world opinion.

The Israeli military said the investigation into the Israeli soldiers was ordered "following suspected substantial abuse of a detainee". It provided no further details.

According to Israeli press reports, the soldiers have been accused of sexually abusing the prisoner. Reuters has not been able to independently verify those reports. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Army Radio reported that the detainee had been a member of an elite unit of the armed group Hamas who had been captured in Gaza during the Israeli offensive there that followed the group's Oct. 7 attack.

The investigation sparked angry protests from some Israelis who said the soldiers had been doing their duty. It also underscored longstanding tensions in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu between hardline nationalist-religious parties and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the army command.

Protesters, including a number of prominent right-wing politicians, broke into two Israeli military facilities on Monday, in a move denounced by Israel's army chief as "bordering on anarchy".