THE Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged Filipinos still in Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum to leave amid reports of residences of foreigners being looted.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose De Vega said around 110 Filipinos still in Khartoum recently contacted the department and the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt seeking help although not all have expressed a desire to be repatriated to Manila.
The embassy also has jurisdiction over Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.
DFA data showed that 748 Filipinos have been repatriated to Manila since fighting erupted in March between Army troops loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, while around 200 have remained in the strife-torn country.
“We are trying to arrange for mass repatriation and not just repatriation for an individual or a family,” De Vega told Teleradyo Serbisyo yesterday.
He said they have received reports that 17 Filipinos whose homes in Khartoum were ransacked by alleged militia elements have been stranded in Port Sudan for around two weeks waiting for their repatriation flights.
Port Sudan has been the main embarkation site for foreigners waiting to be repatriated to their respective countries.
However, De Vega said that despite the recent developments, there are still Filipinos who do not want to be repatriated to Manila.
