Bangladesh plans to evacuate its nationals from Sudan as warring factions agree ceasefire

Shahriar Alam says the embassy in Khartoum has started informing the 1,500 Bangladeshis in Sudan about the plan

Evacuees from war-torn Sudan sit inside a military plane as they wait to be processed by members of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) upon their arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airpor

The government has decided to evacuate around 1,500 Bangladeshis stranded in Sudan amid fighting between the army and a paramilitary group.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam announced the decision in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

He said the embassy in Khartoum started informing the Bangladeshis in Sudan about the plan to evacuate them to safety through other countries.

The state minister urged them to follow the embassy’s instructions to register for the evacuation.

The plan’s implementation will depend on the situation in Sudan, Shahriar said.

He called on Bangladeshi journalists to refrain from contacting the embassy because the officials are busy now.

The routes of evacuation should not be revealed for security reasons, he added.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said the government had decided to keep the embassy open to help the Bangladeshis in Sudan.

An exodus of embassies and aid workers from Africa's third largest country has raised fears that civilians who remain will be in greater danger if an alternative to hostilities is not found before a shaky three-day truce ends on Thursday.

The clashes have paralysed hospitals and other essential services, and left many people stranded in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water.