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LAST UPDATE | 22 Apr 2023
THE DEPARTMENT OF Foreign Affairs is in contact with 125 Irish citizens in Sudan, Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin has said.
The first civilians to be evacuated from the conflict-ridden country arrived in Saudi Arabia today.
A boat Saudi citizens and other nationals rescued from battle-scarred Sudan arrived this afternoon in Jeddah, according to Saudi state television, in the first announced evacuation of civilians since fighting began.
Sources say contingency planning is underway for Irish citizens in the north African country.
The Emergency Consular Assistance Team (ECAT) would need to be actioned to evacuate Irish citizens. ECAT comprises the Army Ranger Wing and personnel from the Department of Foreign Affairs, but it’s expected aircraft from other countries would also be needed for such an operation
Deeply concerned by the ongoing situation in Sudan.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) April 22, 2023
We are actively planning for assisted evacuation with our international partners when conditions make it possible.
Currently in contact with 125 Irish citizens. Every effort being made to assist them.
The first evacuation vessel from Sudan arrived in the Saudi port of Jeddah earlier today, carrying 50 Saudi citizens and civilians from a number of other countries.
Saudi state media announced the “safe arrival” of 91 Saudi citizens and around 66 nationals from 12 other countries – Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philipines, Canada and Burkina Faso.
The evacuees were received by officials and soldiers who distributed sweets on the occasion of the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, footage showed.
Women and children holding Saudi flags were also seen getting off one of the ships.
Fighting in Sudan’s capital entered a second week today as crackling gunfire shattered a temporary truce, the latest battles between forces of rival generals that have already left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
Hundreds have died due to the battles between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has held an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss assistance for the British nationals trapped in Sudan.
If you are a British national in Sudan, we advise you to register your presence to receive updates from the FCDO.
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) April 21, 2023
You should also stay up to date with the FCDO Travel Advice by signing up to e-mail alerts.
The Sudanese army has said it is coordinating efforts to take diplomats from the UK, the US, China and France out of the country on military planes, as fighting persists in the capital, including at its main airport.
Junior Minister Seán Fleming said today that there are currently no plans to evacuate Irish citizens in Sudan.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One, Fleming said there are around 180 Irish citizens there, including 79 families. He said 124 people have made contact with the Irish embassy in Kenya.
He said: “There are reports of evacuations happening and I think that’s premature, the airports aren’t safe to go in and out of, so it’s important that the full facts of the situation are taken into consideration.
“There’s no security people can rely on to get planes in and out, all of that has to be examined before any evacuation can take place.”
Countries have struggled to bring their citizens out amid deadly clashes that have killed more than 400 people so far.
Irish charities Concern and Goal have issued calls for their staff in Sudan to “hibernate” by staying indoors as violent clashes continue between rival factions vying for control of the north-east African country.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon said it was moving additional troops and equipment to a naval base in the tiny Gulf of Aden nation of Djibouti to prepare for the possible evacuation of US Embassy personnel from Sudan.
Yesterday, the US said it had no plans for a government-coordinated evacuation of an estimated 16,000 American citizens trapped in Sudan, and continued to urge US nationals to shelter in place.
Overnight, the heavy explosions that had previously rocked the city in recent days had subsided, but this morning, bursts of gunfire resumed.
Heavy gunfire, loud explosions, and fighter jets roared in many parts of the capital, according to witnesses.
Violence broke out on 15 April between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The former allies seized power in a 2021 coup but later fell out in a bitter power struggle.
The army announced yesterday that it had “agreed to a ceasefire for three days” for the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had called for a day earlier.
Daglo said in a statement he had “discussed the current crisis” with Guterres, and was “focused on the humanitarian truce, safe passages, and protecting humanitarian workers”.
Two previous 24-hour ceasefires announced earlier in the week were also ignored.
The fighting has seen the RSF – a force tens of thousands strong, formed from members of the Janjaweed militia that led years of violence in the western Darfur region – take on the regular army, with neither side seemingly having seized the advantage.
Additional reporting by PA
Just wear a mask it’s not hard ffs
@bmul: Just get a throat air filter… It’s not that hard
@Franky Jefferson: what?
@bmul: try wearing a mask for a 10 hour shift , its not pleasant
@Paul O’Brien: I’ve been doing it for 12 hour shifts on building sites. A college lecture is less than an hour. Also, not that hard.
@Paul O’Brien: I do
@Paul O’Brien: I do also
@Franky Jefferson: Is being crazy something you affect, or just part of who you are?
@JC: college lectures can be between 2 and 4 hours long actually!
@Paul O’Brien: eh that’s not what these students have to do and I already wear one for 7-8 hours a day. Sucks but…ya know…pandemic.
@Ashling Fenton: plenty shorter than that and they build in mask breaks.
@Graham Manning: our lecturers are all 3 hours long and no issues so far with people keeping masks on. Lecturers are allowed remove their mask as long as 2m distance from class and not moving about room.
@Paul O’Brien: I wear them for 12 hour shifts
@Rebecca Owens: yup. Ours are 9-5 and zero issues.
Wish the shops & shopping centers and supermarket would do the same
@Liam Mc Meel: so sad
@Paul Gorry: The end did come for 30 people in Ireland in the past week because of Covid. It’s people like you and Hugo Bugo need to get over yourselves and stop being so utterly self consumed and selfish.
@Hugo Bugo: Oh no you are? It’s good to share though. What has you down pal?
@Paul Gorry: I’m sure the family and friends of the 30 people killed by Covid announced over the past week really appreciate you and Hugo Bugo laughing at them and mocking them with “so sad” and “the end is nigh”, fair play. Two horrible, horrible scrotes ye are.
First day back in college last week, my son went for lunch in the canteen with a few friends. Two Covid stewards pestered them throughout their meal telling them they had to wear their masks……while eating at the table!
@Ian McDonald: were they stewards with the yellow Hi viz vests?There the worst.
@Ian McDonald: some people have actually stopped using their brains. It is very disheartening.
@Ian McDonald: It wouldn’t be the first time a son hasn’t given the full story
@Mickety Dee: Indeed, sure isn’t he there to learn? If he knows better, he may as well publish his knowledge and they can award him his degree and be done with him.
Well it seems to me that the vast majority of students will do whatever it takes to get back to campus! I’m not sure what this virtue signalling is about! The queues for vaccinations by the young was a testament to that! A better question would be why some colleges including Trinity are not bringing back all students? My daughter who is a 2nd year BioMed student in Trinity will have to continue to have online lectures for the foreseeable future! The only reason it seems, is they couldn’t be bothered to organise the lectures properly.
@John O’Brien: they weren’t so great at organising lectures before covid either. Long tradition of getting students to sprint from one end of campus to the other due to the timetabled location of the lecture, double-booking lecture halls, and in some cases expecting students on electives to be in two places at once.
Global pandemic, and people complaining about wearing a mask , it’s called doing your little bit even if it’s a small gesture like wearing a mask before and after eating and a small bit of social distancing, a thousand years ago you wouldn’t be allowed out of your house at pain of death ,if you don’t stay home we shouldn’t need stewards collective responsibility,
So how about a student who has had Covid,has a recovery cert and has since been vaccinated
@Ann Harman: what is so difficult to understand Ann? Everyone needs to wear a mask at university. It’s that simple.
@JustMeHere: why? if recovered or vaccinated
@alan nolan: masks are required for secondary school pupils who have been fully vaccinated. Why would universities be treated any different?
@Franky Jefferson: Every single person at the top of society does this ? How do you know this ? Sounds to me like you have a grudge against successful people, and to mask your own inadequacies you just make stuff up about them.
@Tommy Roche: just because you’re at the top of society doesn’t mean your successful.
@Ann Harman: They can apply for an exception, if they get 1 great if not tough.
Its time people realised that if they don’t obey the rules then there are consequences.
@alan nolan: Because this will never be allowed to end. Just absolute control of our lives in the name of fear.
@Craig Ledbetter: lol. What’s with the drama. God love ye. You’re asked to wear a mask to save lives during a pandemic and you feel it’s the ultimate course of action in controlling you. You really need to get a life.
@Craig Ledbetter: control of our lives, would you get a grip. It’s a piece of fabric on your face. Try North Korea or Afghanistan for control of your life drama queen!
@Craig Ledbetter: the ones who talk about fear tend to be the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers who attribute their own emotions to people who are just getting on with their lives. Wear a mask and live your life, nobody is trying to control you.
@Ann Harman: do you expect lecturers to check everyone’s vaccination status to see if they should wear a mask or not? It’s really not that big a deal to wear a mask for lectures
@Ann Harman: It’s airborne. Anyone in a group who can breathe it in, can breathe out again. They’re all right but they could be incubating the virus and why add to the viral load of others?
My daughter is attending UL and some lecturer’s actually have told the students to remove their masks while in the halls,. My daughter was furious about this and lack of social distancing
@Hugh Mc Donnell: did she or you report it?
Call security immediately
@Susan McMahon: Why stop there? Maybe they should be publicly flogged. Maybe they should have their names and addresses printed in national media.
Or instead of all that, maybe people should drop the anxiety, realise the whole mask thing is basically theatre at this stage, acknowledge the fact that we have 90% of those eligible vaccinated and put our trust in the vaccine.
This sounds to me as if people are not trusting the vaccines.
@JedBartlett: Publicly flogged? What are you on. Sore head this morning jed?
@Bill Spill: Do you understand what sarcasm is, Bill? Grab a coffee there and try again.
@JedBartlett: Had to tell with you jed! You’re a bit cuckoo to be fair…
Why would this be written in a way that makes it sound like a world-wide news outlet? Would you not just say “UCC” and be done with it? Why say “an Irish University?” I know it is slightly pedantic but know your audience….
@Seeking Truth: copy and paste????
@Jim Buckley Barrett: surely The Journal can do better than that!! Sad times when an article about your own country is written in the 3rd person.
Wear mask or leave/don’t come in. That simple. Proper order to call security if needed. Selfish tw@ts
Fair enough. Why should everyone else have to leave the room because some clown is too vain to wear a mask? Eighty years ago even children carried gas masks around against mustard gas release. Nothing wrong with protecting your lungs with light, convenient filters.
Security lol
Universities …get on with it fgs.
How about enforcing medical and FFP2 masks… incidence rate would be way lower.
Fair enough if colleges distribute a supply for the many students who can’t afford to buy a monthly supply.
Call security immediately
have your say