Sudan: 74 Ghanaians To Be Evacuated On May 2 As Civilians Flee Over Intense Clashes Between Military Factions

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has announced plans to evacuate Ghanaians trapped in war-torn Sudan
• The ministry disclosed in a statement that 74 Ghanaians who have crossed into neighbouring Addis Abba from Sudan will be flown to Accra on May 2
• Clashes between military factions in Sudan have plunged the country into chaos and claimed over 400 lives

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has announced that the first batch of 74 Ghanaians is being evacuated from war-torn Sudan.

Some 76 Ghanaian nationals first crossed from the conflict-hit Khartoum to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

However, according to the state-owned Ghana News Agency, the ministry has said in a press release that 74 Ghanaians are scheduled to be flown from Addis Ababa to Accra on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

Read also

Convert national cathedral into hospital: TUC advises Akufo-Addo in May Day message

Sudan cities becoming ghost towns over clashes between military factions

Reports being monitored by YEN.com.gh indicate that the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, is turning into a ghost town as civilians flee the town, fearing for their lives.

At least 420 people have been killed since the start of the conflict, reports say.

Why there is fighting in Sudan

The intense fighting is between Sudan’s military and the country’s main paramilitary force. Already, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more have been fleeing for safety.

According to a report by the Guardian UK, the clashes erupted in the middle of April 2023 amid an apparent power struggle between the two main factions of the military regime.

Read also

Qatar spends big to beat post-World Cup blues

"The Sudanese armed forces are broadly loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto ruler, while the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a collection of militia, follow the former warlord Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti," the Guardian UK reported.

The report explained that the fighting has its roots in a power struggle that existed long before the 2019 uprising that ousted Omar al-Bashir.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs defends decision to spend GH¢7m on a GH¢1m project

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported in a previous story that foreign affairs ministry had defended its decision to spend GH¢7 million on a GH¢1 million project.

This was after the acting chief director of the ministry, Ambassador Ramses Joseph Cleland, explained to the Public Accounts Committee that the project’s cost was varied because the contractor failed to execute it on time due to ill health.

But a statement signed by the ministry denied those claims and took pains to explain why the cost shot up.

Read also

Two Chinese arrested for stealing power: ECG taskforce uncovers illegal connect at their company

Over 4,000 Burkinabe refugees cross into Ghana for protection

Also, YEN.com.gh reported a while ago that there were fears about a possible humanitarian crisis in the Upper East Region after thousands of Burkinabe refugees stormed towns and villages of the region.

Over 4,000 refugees crossed into the border towns in Ghana to flee terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso.

The situation has put pressure on food and other social amenities in the villages the refugees are settling in because most of these villages are already deprived.

Source: YEN.com.gh