Egypt has evacuated 177 of its troops from Sudan following fierce battles in the country’s capital and its sister cities Omdurman and Bahri. According to military statements, three flights carrying the troops arrived in Cairo, while a separate group of 27 air force personnel were placed under the care of the Egyptian embassy in Sudan.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, had reportedly detained the air force personnel after storming the Merowe air base in northern Sudan on Saturday. The Sudanese army initially reported that the 177 troops, who had been evacuated from Dongola, were captured by the RSF at the Meroe base, but later released a statement correcting this.
The Egyptian military claims that the troops were in Sudan for training under a joint protocol between the two countries, which have carried out multiple joint exercises amid diplomatic tensions with Ethiopia.
The evacuation was carried out with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry and UAE news agency WAM. The RSF said that it had handed over the detained personnel to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Khartoum, while the Egyptian army confirmed that the 27 personnel were now at the Egyptian embassy in the city.
The Egyptian army stated that the troops would be evacuated “as soon as the situation is stable and the necessary security circumstances are available.” The violence in Sudan has caused food supplies to run short, leaving many stranded and struggling to survive.
