Evacuees from Sudan to fly to SA after arriving by boat in Egypt

The department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco) and Gift of the Givers have confirmed that 22 South Africans who were stranded in Egypt after being evacuated from war-torn Sudan have resumed their travels.

On Monday, Gift of the Givers said it received a call from those who were in Port Safaga. They arrived by boat from Port Sudan.

“The boat was chartered by the company that had employed the South Africans for a project that started in September last year, with just two more weeks left for completion when the war started. They have been waiting in that boat in Egypt for the last three days for clearance so they could catch a flight from Cairo to SA. Unfortunately, they have had to postpone the flight,” Gift of the Givers' Imtiaz Sooliman said at the time.

In an update on Tuesday, the chair and founder of the nonprofit organisation confirmed a release order had been issued by Egyptian authorities at about 4.45am SA time.

The head of public diplomacy for the department, Clayson Monyela, said: “Dirco is happy to report this morning [Tuesday] that we have successfully intervened on their behalf. The authorities in Egypt have now granted permission for them to get off the boat so they can proceed with their journey.”

“We have sent an official from the SA embassy in Cairo to sign them off. They will then proceed to Cairo, flying via Ethiopian Airlines back to SA, with a stopover in Addis Ababa,” he said. The group is expected in SA on Wednesday.

Monyela urged companies evacuating staff from volatile regions such as Sudan to alert the department as there were “certain interventions that can only be made by the government”.

He also confirmed that all South Africans known to the department hve been successfully evacuated from Sudan, with 51 arriving home on Sunday.

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