Sudan: 11 Syrians killed in violence, 60 Lebanese evacuated so far

Eleven Syrians have died in Sudan as fighting continues to rage for the second week between rival military factions, while Lebanon looks into ways to repatriate its citizens from the turbulent country.

The Syrian news site Athar Press cited diplomatic sources as saying on Saturday that, to date, 11 Syrians had died in the conflict.

The Syrian regime has been looking into the situation of the tens of thousands of Syrians residing in Sudan, with discussions taking place between its foreign ministry and its embassy in Khartoum, Athar Press reported. 

Damascus "directed the embassy in Khartoum to register the names of Syrians wishing to evacuate according to available capabilities," Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported, quoting an unnamed source at the Foreign Ministry.

It is reportedly looking into a plan he plan, according to Athar Press, which requires coordination with international organisations and countries capable of securing a safe route for Syrians inside Sudan, by transferring them from the capital Khartoum to the Red Sea city of Port Sudan.

They would then fly from Port Sudan airport back to Syria.

According to United Nations figures from 2021, approximately 90,000 Syrians live in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan, but informal estimates put the number at over twice that much. No official statistics are available.

Many of these Syrians have fled their country’s 12-year war. The regime has been largely responsible for displacing millions of Syrians as well and killing hundreds of thousands of them.

A simmering rivalry between the army and the Rapid Support Forces over the balance of power in Sudan has erupted in deadly fighting, with the country's future at stake. @AbdolgaderAli explains everything you need to know https://t.co/rOoKPDNnv4

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) April 20, 2023

On Sunday, a convoy carrying Lebanese nationals was safe outside the capital Khartoum, Lebanese media reported. It said Beirut's embassy in Khartoum managed to evacuate 60 of its nationals and will transport them to Lebanon via sea.

On Saturday, Lebanon announced that it was looking into ways to repatriate its roughly 250 citizens in Sudan. 

The small country, reeling under its worst ever financial and economic crisis, said it was carrying out contacts to arrange the evacuation of its nationals in the Sudanese capital and elsewhere.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was following up its "diplomatic contacts to arrange the evacuation process in coordination and cooperation with the Lebanese community and the [Lebanese government’s] Higher Relief Commission".

The ministry added that it would announce, successively, "the operational steps taken to start evacuating Lebanese nationals."

It thanked "all the friendly countries that are helping or expressing their desire to help the departing Lebanese and to complete this process, especially Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and Sudan" itself, according to the same statement.

Other Arab countries have also begun or are planning to evacuate their nationals from the conflict-ridden nation.

Ferocious battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group have killed more than 400 people and left thousands wounded, with airstrikes and tanks being used in Khartoum.

The fighting 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 RSF. Both sides are claiming to make gains.

The former allies seized power in a 2021 coup but later fell out in a bitter power struggle.

Ceasefires have collapsed and attempts to end the violence have failed.