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Dozens more Swiss nationals flown out of Sudan

UK Forces evacuating people near Khartoum, Sudan
The evacuations were undertaken by several third countries, including the United Kingdom, whose forces are pictured here loading passengers onto an aircraft near Khartoum. Keystone / Arron Hoare/british Ministry Of

Around 60 Swiss have been flown out of Sudan on flights organised by third countries, the Swiss foreign ministry revealed on Sunday.

About 25 additional Swiss nationals hoping to leave are still in the conflict zone, the ministry added.

The flights used by those leaving the country were organised by Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Canada and the United Kingdom. The Swiss foreign affairs department said it was providing support to the fleeing Swiss within the limits of the Swiss Abroad Act.

The third countries evacuated their citizens and other nationals primarily from Port Sudan and took them to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, on the other side of the Red Sea.

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Last Sunday Swiss embassy staff and their families were evacuated from Sudan to Djibouti with the assistance of France. The International Committee of the Red Cross also facilitated the evacuation of two personnel to Ethiopia, according to the Swiss foreign ministry. The embassy staff returned to Switzerland on Tuesday morning.

The foreign ministry had previously announced that four Swiss nationals had been evacuated on Monday on flights operated by Germany and the Netherlands.

The announcement of the evacuations came as the deadly conflict between rival military forces in Sudan entered its third week. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since fighting broke out on April 15. Fighting has continued despite a series of ceasefires secured by mediators including the United States.

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