Hundreds evacuated from Sudan as fighting enters third week

Hundreds of foreigners fleeing Sudan have arrived in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, Saudi state media reported, as Sudan entered a third week of fighting between rival military forces despite a ceasefire.

A ferry with around 1,900 evacuees arrived at a Saudi naval base in Jeddah, after crossing the Red Sea from Port Sudan, in the latest evacuation to the kingdom by sea, the SPA state news agency reported on Saturday.The group included the first known Iranian evacuees to escape the fighting, as Iran’s foreign ministry said 65 Iranian citizens had left from Port Sudan, through Jeddah, to Iran.

”We had a bad situation in Khartoum, because of the war and we didn’t know what we should do. Thank you, Saudi Arabia. Good trip to Saudi Arabia and I’m very happy,” said Iranian citizen Nima Saddei who was among those evacuated.

Earlier, an Emirati evacuation plane arrived from Sudan carrying citizens and nationals from 16 countries, the United Arab Emirates said. About 128 evacuees, including British and US citizens, landed in the capital Abu Dhabi where they were greeted by officials.

Separately, a US-government organised convoy arrived at the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Saturday, evacuating US citizens, local staff and others, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Tens of thousands of people have been uprooted within Sudan or embarked on arduous trips to neighbouring Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and Ethiopia to flee the battles between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Mosaab Abdel Rahman, a student in Port Sudan on the eastern Red Sea coast waiting to leave the country, told Al Jazeera, ”I was among the people trapped for nearly seven days in Khartoum with no food, electricity or water. The conditions were very bad, but thank God, we managed to leave and come here. The journey was a bit difficult but things worked out and we arrived.”Conflict enters third week
On the ground, heavy clashes could be heard near downtown Khartoum, close to the army headquarters and the presidential palace late on Saturday. Residents said gunfire and artillery persisted throughout the day in the capital.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan reporting from Khartoum said fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF was continuing in Bahri, in the northern part of the capital.v