Dutch send transport planes to Jordan for potential Sudan evacuation

A Hercules C-130 transport plane above the Netherlands. Photo: Defensie.nl
A Hercules C-130 transport plane above the Netherlands. Photo: Defensie.nl

The Dutch defence ministry has sent two transport plans to Jordan where they will be on standby to bring Dutch nationals out of Sudan, given the surge of violence in the African country.

Officials from both the defence and foreign affairs ministry, as well as medical staff, were on the outward flight. However, officials say, there is no question of an evacuation at the moment.

The foreign ministry is in contact with some 50 Dutch nationals in Sudan and hosted an online meeting on Wednesday to discuss their situation.

With its large-scale crisis management team, the ministry is preparing for all scenarios,’ the foreign ministry said in a statement, published in both Dutch and English.

‘We’re in constant contact with other countries via forums such as the European Union and the United Nations… and we’re working to ensure that political pressure can be applied wherever possible, to persuade the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire that will hold.’

At the moment, however, the security situation will not permit us to provide active on-the-ground assistance, the ministry said.

Germany has reportedly broken off efforts to evacuate its citizens because of fighting near Khartoum airport.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation