After outbreak of violence in Sudan: Dutch embassy in contact with 50 Dutch citizens

The Dutch Embassy in Sudan has been in contact with 50 Dutch people since the country was rocked by violence between paramilitaries and the regular army. This was reported by Dutch ambassador Irma van Dueren on Saturday evening on the Radio 1 program Met het Oog op Morgen.

The embassy is in contact mainly with Sudanese Dutch who hold dual passports. "They come into the country and leave it again," van Dueren said. “At the moment it is Ramadan and almost Eid. So some people have left again to celebrate Eid here in the Netherlands," she mentioned on the radio program. That makes it difficult to get an active picture of the number of Dutch nationals in the country. The Dutch ambassador called on people to contact the embassy "to get as accurate a picture as possible of the number and to help them."

Van Dueren is currently in the Netherlands. She was at Schiphol on Saturday morning to fly back to Khartoum, but was unable to do so because the airport there was closed due to the heavy fighting.

"Early in the morning we heard noises that there was unrest. I tried to fly anyway, but at some point I heard that the airport was closed. I couldn't travel, unfortunately." The ambassador is in contact with her embassy team and the Dutch in Sudan. "They are sometimes hard to understand, that's how loud the gunfire is," Van Dueren told Radio 1 . "We have asked everyone to stay at home. So far, everyone is safe, although they are afraid. There are also employees with children."

At least 25 people were killed Saturday due to ongoing violence between paramilitary groups and the regular Sudanese army. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has tightened its travel advisory for Sudan; it is now on red.