UAE thanks Saudi Arabia for evacuating Emirati citizens from Sudan

The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan thanked his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday for the Kingdom’s role in evacuating dozens, including Emirati nationals, from Sudan, the official WAM news agency reported.

Sheikh Abdullah thanked Prince Faisal for “helping to evacuate the [UAE’s] citizens from Sudan and praised the outstanding efforts made by Riyadh in carrying out evacuations in cooperation with various countries,” WAM said.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group has resulted in ferocious battles, including fighting with tanks and airstrikes that have caused the death of hundreds.

Several foreign countries have conducted evacuation operations to rescue their citizens or embassy staff.

Saudi Arabia led the first successful evacuation operation, using naval operations to pick up more than 150 people, including foreign diplomats and officials from Port Sudan on Saturday.

The Kingdom confirmed the safe arrival of 91 Saudi citizens and around 66 nationals from 12 other countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso.