THE Department of Foreign Affairs said a Filipino has been injured in ongoing clashes between the military and a paramilitary unit in Sudan, while 87 Filipinos have requested to be repatriated to Manila.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega said they are still gathering additional information on the injured Filipino.
He told ABS CBN News Channel that the Filipino has been grazed by a stray bullet but “he is recovering,” adding his condition is stable.
De Vega said the request for repatriation and/or relocation was received by the Philippine Embassy in Egypt, which exercises concurrent jurisdiction over Sudan.
He said the DFA has tasked Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedine Tago to handle and expedite the request for evacuation.
“They have received 87 requests for repatriation,” De Vega said, adding the embassy expects more Filipinos in Sudan to request for repatriation.
De Vega said the embassy is looking for ways on how to extricate Filipinos in Sudan since there are no flights allowed to go in or out since the clashes erupted several days ago.
“What we are doing is the embassy in Cairo is planning to send a rapid response team and we are checking if there is land transportation to drive them from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to Egypt,” he said, adding it would take at least 10 hours via land transport from Khartoum to Cairo.
He said the number of Filipinos who have registered their whereabouts in Sudan with the embassy has increased from the previous 250 living and working in the conflict-torn country to 400 after the clashes.
Earlier, the embassy advised Filipinos in Sudan to stay indoors as clashes continue.
The embassy also asked Filipinos to contact and coordinate with the embassy in Cairo and the Philippine Consulate in Khartoum regarding their current circumstances.
Cairo is the capital city of Egypt while Khartoum is the capital of Sudan, where most of the fighting between Army troops loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is happening.
Until recently, they were allies and even worked together in 2019 to oust Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
However, their alliance was ruptured on the issue to integrate the RSF into the military as part of plans to restore civilian rule in the country.
The embassy said it can be reached through mobile number +20 122 7436472 or Facebook messenger and email accounts PHinEgypt and cairo.pe@dfa.gov.ph.
The consulate in Khartoum can be reached through telephone number +249212399448 or email address phils.cons@elnefeidigroup.com.
