ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland has closed its embassy in Khartoum and evacuated staff and their families over the security situation in Sudan, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Twitter.
“Our staff and their families have been evacuated and are safe,” Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis tweeted late on Sunday.
The Foreign Ministry did not say how many people were rescued but said the evacuees were in good health, with two people on their way to neighbouring Ethiopia and the rest evacuated to Djibouti with help from France.
“The exercise was made possible thanks to collaboration with our partners, in particular France,” Cassis said.
Work was continuing to help Swiss nationals stuck in Sudan. The Swiss foreign minsitry on Friday there were about 100 Swiss nationals registered in Sudan while others are thought to be visiting the Red Sea area as tourists.
The eruption of fighting more than a week ago between rival military factions has triggered a humanitarian crisis, killed 420 people and trapped millions of Sudanese without access to basic services.
Thousands of foreigners, including diplomats and aid workers, have also been stranded and countries are working to evacuate their nationals.
France on Monday said it was continuing to evacuate people and has so far managed to evacuate 388 people.
A German air force plane with 101 people evacuated from Sudan landed in Berlin early on Monday while a shaky ceasefire held in the Sudanese capital.
(Reporting by John Revill and Miranda Murray; Editing by Rachel More and David Goodman)
