Romanian citizens and families ask for evacuation as civil war erupts in Sudan

A group of 22 Romanian citizens requested evacuation from Sudan over the weekend following the outbreak of civil war in the country. Nine Romanian citizens and one Sudanese were evacuated on Sunday night with a flight organized by the French authorities.

“22 Romanian citizens and four family members, who are Sudanese citizens, have registered their presence or have been contacted by the Romanian diplomatic mission for evacuation,” the Romanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release cited by Digi24.

According to a statement from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), the Romanian citizens contacted the Romanian diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Nine of them boarded a flight to Djibouti as a result of the cooperation between Romanian and French authorities.

The Romanian Embassy in Khartoum suspended its activity in 2021, and consular assistance and protection services for Romanian citizens in Sudan are provided by the Romanian Embassy in Addis Ababa.

MAE also created a task force meant to support and provide assistance to Romanian citizens in Sudan before they are evacuated. "Since the activation of the inter-institutional task force, numerous efforts have been made by the Romanian diplomatic missions involved and by institutional partners to identify and contact Romanian citizens and their family members in Sudan, as well as to establish optimal evacuation methods," the MAE added.

At this time, according to data held by the Romanian Embassy in Addis Ababa, there are still 20 Romanian citizens and 3 family members (Sudanese and Egyptian citizens) in Sudan who have requested assistance for evacuation.

The US, UK, France, Canada, Turkey, Germany, Italy, and Spain have already evacuated their diplomats in Sudan, as the army and the paramilitary forces clash for supremacy. There are reports that internet connectivity has almost totally collapsed in Sudan, which could seriously hinder the coordination of help for those trapped in Khartoum and other cities, according to the BBC.

On April 17, Romania’s MAE raised the travel alert for Sudan to level 8 out of 9 - 'Exercise extreme caution.' The ministry strongly recommends that all Romanian citizens currently in Sudan urgently contact the Romanian Embassy in Addis Ababa and provide their coordinates to be contacted in case of need.

Romanian citizens in the region can request consular assistance by calling the Romanian Embassy in Addis Ababa at +251 116 622 675. Additionally, they also have access to the emergency phone number of the diplomatic mission, +251 935 350 059.