Military transport aircraft for evacuating Sudanese residents arrive on site... Evacuation operation begins

by Lee Gwanju

Published 22 Apr.2023 17:59(KST)

Our military transport aircraft, dispatched to evacuate Korean nationals staying in Sudan, North Africa, where armed conflict has occurred, arrived in the area on the 22nd.

On the 21st, a C-130J transport aircraft took off from the Air Force's 5th Air Mobility Wing to carry out an overseas mission for the evacuation of Korean residents in Sudan.
[Photo by Ministry of National Defense]

The Ministry of National Defense reported that at around 5:20 PM on the same day, an Air Force C-130J transport aircraft landed at the U.S. military base in Djibouti, a country neighboring Sudan.

About 50 personnel, including the Army Special Warfare Command's 707 Counterterrorism Special Mission Unit, Air Force Combat Control Team (CCT), pilots, maintenance crew, security personnel, and medical staff, are conducting an operation to safely board our nationals onto the transport aircraft and evacuate them to South Korea.

Currently, Sudanese militias have agreed to a three-day ceasefire starting from the 21st (local time) to celebrate the Islamic holiday 'Eid al-Fitr,' marking the end of Ramadan. Accordingly, governments including ours are preparing to evacuate their nationals staying in the area.

There are a total of 29 Korean nationals staying in Sudan, all reported to be safe. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched a rapid response team of nine members, led by Choi Young-han, Director of the Overseas Koreans Consular Office, to Djibouti via a separate flight. Along with the military personnel who arrived by transport aircraft, they will support the protection and evacuation of our nationals on site.

Furthermore, President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed the Cheonghae Unit stationed at Salalah Port in Oman to be urgently deployed to the waters near Sudan for the safety of our nationals. Lee Do-woon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, stated in a written briefing that a situation assessment meeting involving related agencies was held under the chairmanship of the Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office to ensure the safety of our nationals amid the Sudan crisis, and after receiving related reports, President Yoon gave these instructions.