KUALA LUMPUR: The mission to rescue 30 Malaysians trapped in Khartoum following clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force is currently underway using a land route.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, while describing the efforts to extract the Malaysians as entering a critical phase, said their locations could not be disclosed due to security factors.
He said all Malaysians were on their way to a designated safe location using the land route before being evacuated out of the country.
"The situation in Sudan is still at a dangerous level because both groups have not adhered to the ceasefire that was supposed to be in place.
"Following this development, we took steps to bring out all Malaysians in Sudan using a land route. They are now on their way to a safe location.
"The vehicles carrying them was previously stranded for more than four hours due to a curfew, in addition to the fact that one of the tyres burst on one of the vehicles which are carrying the Malaysians and some foreigners.
"We ask all Malaysians to pray for the safety of everyone in Sudan and that the evacuation mission will be carried out successfully without any setbacks," he told Berita Harian today.
The conflict in Sudan erupted on April 15, as a result of a dispute between the Sudanese army and the RSF, causing thousands of foreigners stranded, including diplomats and humanitarian aid workers.
Several countries have already evacuated their citizens.
Some of the evacuations were done by air, or through the Red Sea port which is located about 650km northeast of Khartoum and about 800km by road.
A total of 32 Malaysians were reported to be in Sudan in seven different areas of the country.
On Friday, two Malaysians were brought out of Sudan in an operation conducted by officers from the Malaysian embassy.
The clash between the two sides has reportedly spread to Bahri and Omdurman, cities near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, with battles also reported to have taken places around the military headquarters and the presidential palace.
Zambry said the swift action to bring Malaysians out was the result of careful planning by Wisma Putra and other agencies at the ministry's Sudan Operations Centre.
He said as soon as the group of Malaysians reached the safe location, they would be immediately evacuated from Sudan before being brought back directly to Malaysia.