Syrians left stranded in Sudan airbase appeal for evacuation

Several Syrians remain stranded in Sudan, where clashes between rival military forces have left hundreds killed and thousands injured.

Countries from around the world have worked to evacuate their citizens from the East African country, but a large number of Syrian nationals remain trapped there and have appealed to The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed for help.

These Syrians are taking refuge at the Wadi Sayyidna military airfield, about 22 km from the capital Khartoum, which has been the site of major clashes and destruction. 

Fighing between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces entered a third week with the UN chief warning the country was falling apart, as the death toll passed 500.

At least 11 Syrians have been reported to be among the dead.

Iyad Qaddour, a Syrian refugee from the Hama governorate who has been living in Khartoum for six years, said going to the airfield was the quickest option.

"We no longer have liquidity because of the current crisis and the increased cost of everything, and there is no way to access the banks because they’re closed," he told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The current battle for Sudan of the country centres around a struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Hemedti. Here's @AbdolgaderAli's explainer https://t.co/rOoKPDNnv4

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) April 21, 2023

Qaddour said the cost of traveling to the Egyptian border or the coastal city of Port Sudan – where evacuees are heading to Saudi Arabia before going to their countries - had now reached about $500 per person.

He said about 32 Syrians along with a Palestinian family arrived at Wadi Sayyidna airbase last Monday, adding that they were welcomed by Sudanese authorities.

But efforts to evacuate them were still facing hurdles, he added.

The Syrian regime had directed its embassy in Khartoum to register the names of Syrians wishing to leave Sudan and look into ways to get them out "within possible means."

"On the third day of the evacuation process, and after promises from the Egyptian consul in Sudan who we contacted to help evacuate us, we were turned back from the door of the plane by the pilot because we do not have Egyptian citizenship," explained Qaddour.

He said the pilot had told them he was given instructions to only transport Egyptian nationals and those with Egyptian spouses.

Qaddour said the Syrians also tried contacting European airlines to help them but were told they needed a visa.

They were informed that airlines from the Gulf states as well as Jordan were told that they were authorised to evacuate Syrians in Sudan, however no plane from these countries had gone to Wadi Sayyidna since their stay at the airbase.

Qaddour describes the situation as "tragic," as those taking shelter have had to sleep on the floor and look for shade in sometimes 45-degree heat, unable to go back to Khartoum because of the fighting.

According to United Nations figures from 2021, approximately 90,000 Syrians live in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan, but informal estimates put the number as over twice that much. No official statistics are available.

Many of them have fled their own country’s 12-year war, which has resulted in the killing of over 500,000 people.